The Gyeryong Scholarship Foundation said on the 21st it will hold the 7th Gyeryong Scholarship Foundation Architecture Idea Competition under the slogan "IN-BETWEEN LIFE – empty space, into a new life."
The competition is the foundation's flagship program designed to help future architecture talent consider solutions to social problems based on their own philosophy and creative perspectives. It began in 2020 and marks its seventh year in 2026.
This year's theme is "three-dimensional functional conversion of idle commercial spaces (conversion to residential space/Functional Conversion)." It seeks architectural solutions and new space-utilization ideas addressing vacant storefronts from undergraduate and graduate students nationwide.
Notably, Hongik University Department of Architecture Professor Yu Hyun-jun, known as a humanist architect, will participate as a mentor to provide insights and critiques related to the competition.
Professor Yu Hyun-jun's insight video will be released on the "Haebol Gyeryong" YouTube channel, and offline one-on-one critiques will also be held at Yu Hyun-jun Architects for first-round qualifiers.
Applications will be accepted through July 5, and applicants can check the guidelines and apply on the Gyeryong Scholarship Foundation website.
After a review by a panel of expert judges, a total of 20 teams will be selected, and prize money totaling 18.5 million won will be awarded, including 7 million won for one grand prize team.
Chair Lee Seung-chan of the Gyeryong Scholarship Foundation said, "This competition will be a meaningful journey in which young people facing the social issue of vacant storefronts seek future possibilities through creative imagination and architectural solutions," adding, "We hope students' fresh perspectives and architectural imagination will change today's cities and become the starting point for designing a better tomorrow."
Meanwhile, the Gyeryong Scholarship Foundation was established in 1992 to foster future talent and contribute to society, and has provided scholarships totaling 7 billion won to about 16,000 students to date.
In addition, it is continuously promoting various public-interest and cultural projects, including the Urban Architecture Tour, the Yurim Park Sketch Contest, the Yurim Senior Filial Piety Award, the construction of a replica stele of King Gwanggaeto, and an exploration of Baekje cultural heritage sites in Japan.