Hwaseong City Hosts "AI Hwaseong Challenge" to Drive AI Administrative Innovation with Ideas from Citizens and Public Officials

Hwaseong City Embarks on Citizen-Led AI Innovation

Launching Citizen and Public Official AI Contest

AI Competition Utilizing Vibe Coding

Discovering Creative Ideas through the "AI Hwaseong Challenge"

Hwaseong Special City in Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Jeong Myung-geun) is hosting the "AI Hwaseong Challenge" to discover creative ideas that leverage artificial intelligence (AI) technology to resolve inconveniences in citizens’ daily lives and innovate administrative services.

2026 Citizens and Public Officials AI Contest Promotional Poster. Provided by Hwaseong City

The "AI Hwaseong Challenge" consists of three parts. Part 1 is the Citizen and Public Official AI Contest, Part 2 is the University Student AI·DATA Competition, and Part 3 is the AI Champion Results Sharing Session.

The first stage of the "AI Hwaseong Challenge," the "2026 Citizen and Public Official AI Contest," is themed around implementing AI-powered services that can be applied across all aspects of daily life, including transportation, welfare, safety, administration, environment, culture, and education. Any solution that utilizes AI technology to solve urban problems and improve citizens’ convenience may be proposed.

The application period will run for 12 days, from June 29 to July 10.

In particular, this contest features a "Vibe Coding" approach, which allows participants to easily develop programs in natural language by conversing with AI, even without specialized coding knowledge. This reduces the technical barrier and makes it easier for any citizen to participate.

Eligibility is open to citizens registered as residents in Hwaseong City and public officials affiliated with Hwaseong City, either individually or as a team.

The submissions will undergo first and second rounds of document review to select finalists for the presentation stage. The final round will be held as Part 1 of the upcoming "AI Hwaseong Challenge" event, with on-site presentations and judging. The final winners will be announced on the city’s website in September, and each winner will be notified individually.

Awards will be presented in both citizen and public official categories, with six outstanding solutions selected to receive a total of 7.1 million won in prize money.

Park Seunghyun, Head of the AI Smart Strategy Office, stated, "This contest will serve as an opportunity to advance Hwaseong City’s AI administrative innovation based on the creative ideas of citizens and public officials. As citizens without technical backgrounds can easily participate using Vibe Coding, we hope for broad interest and participation. The excellent solutions discovered through this contest will be actively reflected in Hwaseong City’s future AI policies as we strive to build a citizen-centered AI city."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.