Seoul Community Chest holds first AI video contest to spread culture of giving

Generative AI technology is being put to work reimagining the meaning of donation and sharing, translating traditional values into contemporary visual content.

The Seoul Community Chest of Korea held the final presentation and awards ceremony for "CHEST × AI," its AI-powered video contest on sharing messages, at the Community Chest Hall of Fame on Wednesday.

The contest was designed to use generative AI to recast the meaning of "sharing" and help the public engage with a culture of giving in an accessible way. It marks the first time the Seoul Community Chest has organized a video contest incorporating AI.

Open to the general public, the contest centered on the theme of "building a culture of giving through AI-produced videos carrying messages of sharing" and ran across two categories: three-minute videos and short-form clips. A total of 91 entries were submitted — 31 in the three-minute category and 60 in the short-form category.

Participants ranged widely in background, including students, office workers, freelancers and YouTubers, reflecting broad public interest in using AI to spread a culture of giving.

The Seoul Community Chest screened all 91 entries through a first-round review conducted by its secretariat and outside experts, evaluating each work on planning quality, usability and creativity. Ten finalists advanced to an on-site presentation round held Wednesday, where the final rankings were determined.

The top overall prize, the Yeolmae Grand Award, went to "Fruit of People Bloomed by Sharing" by Kim Geon-o. The category-level Yeolmae Award in the three-minute division went to "The Miracle of 100% Win" by Bae Ji-hye, while "I Donated!" by Hwang Seon-u took the same prize in the short-form division. The second-place Sarang Award in the three-minute category went to "Again, Innocence" by Kim Ji-young, and "The Temperature of Sharing" by No Yeong-ran claimed the short-form Sarang Award. Five works received special recognition: "A Thread of Hope" by Ahn Seo-bin, "One Round" by Seo Bong-guk, "Fruit Again" by Jeon Yeong-un, "Sold-Out Menu" by Jeon Chae-yeon, and "Where a Small Light Reaches" by Jeong So-myeong.

The grand prize winner, "Fruit of People Bloomed by Sharing," reinterpreted the traditional Korean folktale of Heungbu and Nolbu to express the value of giving. The Yeolmae Award winners were praised for making donation feel easy and familiar in everyday life, while the Sarang Award entries were recognized for conveying messages of sharing through distinctive visual styles and emotional storytelling.

"Through this contest, we confirmed that AI holds new potential to communicate the value of sharing in an easy and creative way," said Shin Hye-young, secretary general of the Seoul Community Chest of Korea. "We are grateful to everyone who participated, and we will continue to explore diverse approaches so that people can encounter and engage with giving more easily in their daily lives."

The winning entries will be featured on the Seoul Community Chest of Korea's official SNS channels and used as promotional content to spread a culture of giving and encourage public participation going forward.