Yonsei University team wins top prize at 27th Korea Semiconductor Design Contest

South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Korean Intellectual Property Office held the 27th Korea Semiconductor Design Contest awards ceremony Thursday at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul.

The annual event, organized by the Korea Semiconductor Industry Association since 2000, aims to sharpen the design skills of university students majoring in semiconductor engineering and to uncover creative ideas in the field.

A total of 21 teams received awards, including the grand prize — the Presidential Award — which went to a team from Yonsei University. Other honors included the Prime Minister's Award, the Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Award, and the Commissioner of the Korean Intellectual Property Office Award.

Participating students used semiconductor design software provided by contest sponsors to bring their ideas to life as working prototypes. Before the ceremony, teams also held live demonstrations of their projects.

Choi Woo-hyuk, director general for advanced industry policy at the ministry, said the government would "actively support students who will lead Korea's semiconductor design industry so they can challenge themselves and grow to their full potential."