South Korea’s government officially kicked off K-Startup of the Year 2026, the country’s largest pan-ministerial startup competition, with a grand prize of up to KRW 500 million($370,000 USD)on the line. Nine government ministries and agencies are collaborating to host this year’s competition, including the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Ministry of National Defense, and six others. The multi-ministry approach is designed to provide startups with a unified, streamlined support system.
Formerly known as Challenge! K-Startup, the competition has been reorganized and rebranded this year. The format now focuses exclusively on early-stage startups, while pre-startup support has been moved to a newly launched initiative called the Startup for All Project.
A dedicated AI League has also been introduced for the first time, reflecting the government’s emphasis on AI innovation, alongside a “select and concentrate” strategy that reduces the number of selected companies while significantly increasing prize money and follow-up support.
Companies can apply through the K-Startup website.
