Kyowon Planners hagwon holds nationwide English writing contest with iPad prize

Kyowon Planners, a hagwon operator, announced Friday it will hold its "2026 English Writing Contest" open to enrolled students at its branches nationwide.

The contest aims to strengthen English writing skills among students from third grade in elementary school through second grade in middle school during the summer vacation period.

Preliminary rounds will be held at Planners hagwon locations across the country from Aug. 5 to 11, with no entry fee. Outstanding entries will be selected by grade level in a first round of judging, followed by a final round to determine the overall winners. Winners will be announced Aug. 27 on the Planners hagwon official website and blog.

Writing topics vary by grade: third- and fourth-graders will write a book report; fifth- and sixth-graders will write on "My Future Self"; first-year middle school students on "My Dream"; and second-year middle school students on either "Using AI in Everyday Life" or "The Pros and Cons of Social Media."

Judges will evaluate entries on structure and logical coherence, development, linguistic accuracy and appropriateness of expression. The top overall winner nationwide will receive an iPad, while first-place winners in each grade category will receive a Sony wireless Bluetooth headset.

Schools have been placing greater weight on essay and descriptive assessments in recent years, and English education has increasingly shifted beyond grammar and reading comprehension to emphasize writing skills that reflect critical thinking and expression. Hagwon operators have responded by strengthening writing-focused programs and personalized feedback instruction.

"As essay-based assessment becomes more important in schools, we organized this contest to help students develop the ability to express their thoughts in English writing," a Kyowon Planners official said. "We plan to continue running a variety of programs to strengthen our students' English competitiveness."