Date & Time: May 2, 2026, Saturday, at 1 PM EST
Format: Hybrid (Virtual & In-Person)
Location: The Korea Society, 350 Madison Ave., 24th Fl., NY, NY 10017
Application
Deadline:
January 19, 2026: Application to Participate Submission Deadline
January 19, 2026: Early Manuscript Submission Deadline
February 16, 2026: Speech Manuscript Submission Deadline
Requirement:
Eligibility: Students in grades 9 – 12, residing in the U.S.
Language: English
Length of Speech: 4 - 6 minutes (1,400 words maximum)
All applicants must submit an Application to Participate by the stated deadline.
Early submission of manuscripts is encouraged. Applicants who submit a manuscript by January 19, 2026 (11:59 PM, EST) will be invited to a writing workshop and will have the opportunity to revise and resubmit your manuscript by the deadline of February 16, 2025 submission deadline.
All manuscripts must be resubmitted by February 16, 2025 (11:59 PM, EST).
Awards & Scholarships:
Grand Award: $1,500
1st Place: $1,200
2nd Place (2 persons): $1,000
3rd Place (3 persons): $500
Manuscript (2 persons): $500
Finalists: $200
Inquiries:
website: http://www.kscholarship.org
e-mail: speech@kscholarship.org
text/phone: 734-657-6951/ 201-694-6838
Hosts & Sponsoring Organizations
Kyung-Uhn Scholarship Association
Kyunggi Girls’ High School Alumnae Association of Greater NY
The Korea Society
Supporting Organizations
Korean American Association of Greater New York
K-12 Korean Language Teachers Association, USA
Korean American Teachers’ Association of New York
Korean American Educators’ Association of New Jersey
2026 Speech Contest Theme:
K-Culture and Me
K-Culture’s popularity has grown exponentially over the past few decades. The world has become fascinated with K-everything; K-Pop, K- Food, K-Beauty, K-Movie, K-Drama, etc. Idol groups like BTS and Blackpink boast hundreds of millions of fans worldwide. K-Movie, “Parasite” won an Academy Award for Best Picture. Kimchee and Korean ramen are found on the grocery shelves almost anywhere. K- Beauty products have become so popular that Korea is now the largest exporter of cosmetics products next to France and the US. Han Kang, a Korean author, received the Nobel prize for Literature in 2024. Recently, the Netflix animated musical, “K-Pop Demon Hunters” has become a new global sensation. It is the most-watched original movie in Netflix history, and its soundtrack also broke records. Korea, one of the world’s poorest countries in the 1950s has become one of the world’s richest countries today. Korea, a leading exporter of technological innovations, is now an exporter of culture!
Let’s think about K-Culture and its popularity. Why do you think it is so popular worldwide? How does it relate to you? Are you impacted by it? Do you think it has reached its peak or will continue its success? How does the popularity of K-Culture relate to concepts such as globalization, your identity, and mental and emotional health within our communities?
K-Culture and Me
What factors contribute to the success and popularity of K-Culture?
How has K-Culture impacted you?
Has K-culture influenced your identity?
Is the success and popularity of K-Culture sustainable? What can be done to sustain its global popularity?
Based on your experiences and observations of Korean culture,
all or some aspects of the questions
should be addressed in your manuscript.Manuscript Format
In a Word Docx or Google Doc format.
(You may submit a PDF version but the Word docx format should be submitted together.)Font: Times New Roman
Font size: 12
Double spaced.
Margins: 1 inch
Length: Up to about 1,400 words