The Korea Forest Service (Minister Park Jong-ho) is holding the '2020 Beautiful Garden Contest' through May 14 to promote a garden culture in which people plant and tend flowers and trees as part of everyday life.

Hosted by the Korea Forest Service and jointly organized by the Korea Garden Association, Monthly Gardening, and The Seoul Economic Daily, the contest is held under the theme 'The Beautiful Garden I (We) Have Cultivated' and is divided into two categories: My Garden and Our Garden.

My Garden covers outdoor spaces such as the yard, rooftop, or walls of a private single-family home, while Our Garden covers idle spaces at apartment complexes, row houses, villages, and public institutions. Individual garden owners and community representatives may apply.

Individuals and groups wishing to participate should submit an application form, a garden introduction, at least eight garden photos, and a consent form for the collection, use, provision, and entrustment of personal information to the operations headquarters of the Korea Garden Association by email by 6 p.m. on May 14. In unavoidable cases, entries may also be submitted in person or by mail (only entries arriving by the deadline will be accepted).

Contest winners will be selected by a panel of seven experts, including professors in the garden field, garden professionals, garden policy advisory committee members, and garden artists, through a first-round document review and a second-round on-site review followed by a final evaluation. A total of 13 works will be chosen and announced on June 1 on the Korea Forest Service website and by individual notification.

The judging criteria comprehensively assess ▲design and aesthetics ▲creativity and originality ▲diversity of garden plants ▲completeness of the garden ▲state of garden maintenance and management ▲harmony with the surrounding environment and culture ▲rational spatial planning ▲connectivity with external spaces.

The Gold Prize (1 work) receives a certificate from the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and a cash prize of 2 million won; the Silver Prize (2 works) receives a certificate from the Minister of the Korea Forest Service and a cash prize of 1 million won; the Bronze Prize (4 works) receives a certificate from the Director of the Korea National Arboretum and a cash prize of 500,000 won each; and the Encouragement Prize (6 works), as the organizers' award, receives a certificate from the representatives of the Korea Garden Association, Monthly Gardening, and The Seoul Economic Daily. All winning works are also awarded a bronze plaque certifying them as a beautiful garden.

The awards ceremony and exhibition will be held during the '2020 Korea Garden Industry Expo (Oct. 16–25)' at Suncheonman National Garden, with the detailed schedule and venue to be posted on the Korea Forest Service website (winners will be notified individually).

Kim Ju-yeol, head of the Urban Forest and Landscape Division at the Korea Forest Service, said, "We are holding this contest to spread an open garden culture in which individuals and groups open up gardens they have tended with love and care to share and communicate with their neighbors," adding, "We will continue to expand privately participatory garden infrastructure and work to invigorate garden tourism."