Seongnam Welfare Foundation seeks public ideas for local welfare policy

The Seongnam Welfare Foundation announced Wednesday that it is accepting submissions for its "2026 Welfare Idea Contest" through Aug. 31.

The contest was organized to raise public attention to welfare issues in the Seongnam area and to identify welfare policy ideas tailored to the city.

The theme is "Seongnam-style welfare policy that changes the daily lives of citizens."

Proposed ideas may address four areas: emergency and gap-filling care, after-school and vacation blind spots, and support for isolated youth; family caregiving youth, prevention of lonely deaths among middle-aged and older adults, and safety nets for single-person households; care gaps for seniors and people with disabilities, caregiver respite, and digital welfare accessibility; and community-led identification of households in crisis.

Any Seongnam resident, university or graduate student enrolled at a Seongnam institution, or local worker may enter individually or as a team of up to four people.

The foundation will evaluate submissions on creativity, feasibility, effectiveness, sustainability and on-the-ground scalability, selecting nine ideas in total. Results are scheduled to be announced Sept. 11.

Winners will receive Seongnam Love gift certificates totaling 7 million won ($4,960): the grand prize winner receives 1.5 million won, three excellence award winners receive 1 million won each, and five encouragement award winners receive 500,000 won each.

Selected ideas will inform the foundation's policy research and welfare project planning.