The Daegu Happiness Foundation announced Monday that it will accept nominations for the 2026 Daegu Metropolitan City Lifelong Education Merit Award through Nov. 11.
The award program, established under the Daegu City Lifelong Education Promotion Ordinance, aims to honor individuals and organizations that have dedicated themselves to advancing lifelong education in the region. By recognizing outstanding contributions, the foundation seeks to boost morale among practitioners and spread best practices, creating a virtuous cycle of lifelong learning through policy feedback.
Nominations are divided into two broad categories: individuals (learners and practitioners) and institutions or organizations.
The individual category covers two groups: general citizens who have pursued self-directed learning to achieve personal transformation or self-fulfillment and have given back to the community through talent donations or volunteer work; and lifelong education professionals — including instructors and field practitioners — who have strengthened civic capacity through tailored program planning, operations and on-site innovation.
The institutional category is open to lifelong education bodies and organizations within the city that have contributed to building a local lifelong learning ecosystem — whether by running programs that address community challenges and support vulnerable groups, or by forging networks with related agencies.
A total of 18 awards will be presented: nine to individuals and nine to institutions or organizations.
By award tier, six prizes will be given in the name of the Daegu mayor (three individual, three institutional), six in the name of the Daegu Happiness Foundation president (three individual, three institutional), and six in the name of the Korea Lifelong Education Professionals Association president (three individual, three institutional).
Nominees will first undergo a document eligibility review, followed by a second-round merit evaluation by a panel of internal and external experts assessing suitability, originality, effort, completeness, social impact and scalability. Final selections will be confirmed before the outcomes-sharing event.
Certificates will be presented to the final honorees at the main ceremony of the 2026 Daegu Lifelong Education Outcomes Sharing Event, scheduled for Dec. 2.
Full details and submission forms are available on the Daegu Happiness Foundation's website. Inquiries can be directed to the Lifelong Learning Promotion Team.
Choi Hui-jae, acting president of the Daegu Happiness Foundation, called on organizations to participate actively. "We ask for the enthusiastic attention and nominations of each institution so that outstanding achievements and inspiring stories can spread throughout the region," Choi said.
kbj7653@heraldcorp.com
