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Naver Webtoon, Munpia Announce Winners of 2026 Web Novel Contest
posted on by Wonhee Cho
Naver WEBTOON and Munpia announced the 37 winners of the 2026 World's Largest Web Novel Contest on July 22.
The annual competition, jointly organized by the two platforms, received more than 10,000 submissions, a roughly 35% increase from last year. A total of 7,400 writers participated, including about 6,600 first-time authors with no prior paid serialization experience. More than 80% of entrants were in their teens, 20s, or 30s.
The grand prize went to At the Ending of a Makjang Drama by Pitkong, a modern fantasy and alternate-history novel about a protagonist who is reincarnated into a melodrama and unexpectedly becomes a contender for the imperial succession following a terrorist attack.
Three titles received the Excellence Award: The NIS' Indestructible Black Agent by Sotamja, The Trade King in This Life by Youngwan, and I Obtained the Omnipotent Angel by MammothXM.
This year's contest also introduced a new Martial Arts Special Award, recognizing How a Ronin Survives the World of Martial Artists by Teruchi, Cultivating Through Gacha in a Xianxia World by Seogong, and A Fishing Village Boy Raised as a Martial Artist by Apyeong-a. Organizers said more than 1,400 martial arts entries were submitted, more than double the number from last year.
Winning works will debut first on Munpia before expanding to Naver Series. The grand prize and Excellence Award winners will also receive webtoon adaptations for serialization on Naver WEBTOON. All winning entries will be considered for additional multimedia adaptations, including film and television projects.
Source: Naver WEBTOON's press release
