KT&G SangSang Madang Announces Winners of the “2026 Design Challenge” for Emerging Designers
Contributing to the growth of the design industry since 2013—providing the final selections with prize money, opportunities to collaborate with design brands, and other support
Photo Description
KT&G SangSang Madang announced the winners of its “2026 Design Challenge” competition on July 14. The image shows a work by “Sugar Bubble,” the first-place winner of the “2026 Design Challenge.”
KT&G SangSang Madang announced the winners of its “2026 Design Challenge” competition on July 14, a program designed to support emerging designer brands in Korea.
The Design Challenge is a cultural contribution program that KT&G SangSang Madang has operated since 2013 to discover promising designers and contribute to the growth of the design industry. The Design Challenge provides the final selected designers with prize money, opportunities to collaborate with leading design brands, support for merchandise production, mentoring, and other benefits, and has established itself as a gateway for emerging artists.
Under the theme “Filling All of Korea with Positive Energy,” this year’s competition invited participants to depict lucky places, objects, habits, and experiences through illustrations and character comics. “Sugar Bubble” took first place, while “Isso” and “Aemongz” tied for second.
Each selected designer will receive prize money, support to produce collaborative merchandise with the popular brand Little Tempo Design, and the opportunity to run a pop-up store at the SangSang Madang Hongdae Design Square.
Kim Cheon-beom, Manager of KT&G SangSang Madang Hongdae, stated, “Through the Design Challenge, we have discovered promising designers and supported their growth into accomplished design artists. We hope this year’s selected designers will continue to develop their talents and become artists who are widely recognized and loved by the public.”
KT&G SangSang Madang serves as a multifaceted cultural and artistic space, supporting the creative activities of emerging artists while offering diverse cultural experiences to the public. Since starting with the online SangSang Madang in 2005, the platform has expanded to five locations, including Hongdae, Nonsan, Chuncheon, Daechi, and Busan, contributing to the development of local arts and culture as well as expanding public access to arts and culture. KT&G SangSang Madang hosts over 3,000 cultural and artistic programs every year.