Korea Zinc opens applications for 2026 Metalsmith of the Year award

Korea Zinc announced Tuesday it will host the 2026 Metalsmith of the Year award and open applications for the prize, as part of its corporate social responsibility efforts to advance metal craftsmanship in South Korea.

The Metalsmith of the Year award was established in 2013 to support the creative work of talented metal craft artists and promote the development of the field in South Korea. Korea Zinc has sponsored the award every year since its founding and has hosted it directly since 2023.

Applicants must be South Korean nationals aged 45 or under who work as metal craft or jewelry artists. Eligibility extends to individual artists or teams who have been actively producing work over the past 10 years.

Korea Zinc will accept application materials from Tuesday, Aug. 4 through Saturday, Aug. 8. The company plans to conduct document reviews and interviews through October before selecting two final winners. Each winner will receive a prize of 10 million won ($7,070) along with an opportunity to hold an exhibition.

"As a world-class non-ferrous metals smelting company, Korea Zinc has consistently supported culture and the arts through the medium of metal," a company official said. "We will continue to support promising domestic metal craft artists so they can fully express their creative talents, contributing to the advancement of metal craftsmanship in South Korea."

The winners' joint exhibition will be open to the public free of charge throughout its run. The show will be held at Yéol in Jongno-gu, Seoul, for six days from Dec. 1 through Dec. 6, the same day as the awards ceremony.

Last year's winners were artists Oh Seok-cheon and Jeong Ryeong-jae. Oh built a distinctive and highly refined body of work rooted in traditional metal craft techniques, while Jeong drew attention for art jewelry that blends new materials with digital fabrication technology to capture a contemporary sensibility.

Meanwhile, Korea Zinc has been carrying out a range of social contribution activities to fulfill its corporate responsibilities. Its Onsan Smelter recently partnered with the Ulsan chapter of the Korean Red Cross and the Korean Red Cross Volunteer Council of Ulju-gun to distribute samgyetang — a traditional Korean chicken and ginseng soup — to those in need.

The volunteer initiative was designed to help vulnerable residents in welfare blind spots across Ulju-gun stay healthy through the summer, delivering samgyetang and side dishes to a total of 500 households.