Changbi Youth Literature Award, Successor to "Wandeuki," Selects "Suddenly Earth's Representative" as 20th Winner

Yunai's Full-Length Novel: "A Book That Leaves You Empowered"

20 Million Won Prize, Scheduled for Publication in Early 2027

Yunai's full-length novel "Suddenly Earth's Representative" has been selected as the winner of the 20th Changbi Youth Literature Award. The winner will receive a prize of 20 million won, and the award-winning work is scheduled to be published by Changbi in the first half of 2027. The award ceremony will be held in February 2027.

The 20th Changbi Youth Literature Award has been won by author Yuna's full-length novel "Suddenly the Earth's Representative." The winner will receive a prize of 20 million won, and the winning work is scheduled to be published by Changbi in the first half of 2027. Changbi

The Changbi Youth Literature Award is a youth literature prize that has produced works such as Kim Ryeoryeong's "Wandeuki," the winner of the first award, as well as "Wizard Bakery," "Sinker," "Paint," "Yuwon," "Clover," "Yul's Perspective," "Sparkle," and "Paran Paran." For its 20th edition this year, a total of 310 entries were submitted by April 30, marking a significant increase from last year's 218 entries.

The judging panel consisted of five members: children's and youth literature critics Kim Jieun and Oh Seran, and novelists Yoon Sunghui, Jung Eunsuk, and Choi Sanghee. After preliminary and main rounds of judging, the winner was selected. Additionally, a separate youth jury of 52 members provided their opinions on the four shortlisted works in the final round. Changbi stated that the opinions of the youth jury were given significant consideration during the final judging process.

The winning novel, "Suddenly Earth's Representative," is a full-length work that depicts the transformations of individuals facing the immense issue of Earth's destruction. In their review, the judges described the novel as "a story that moves the mountain-like problem of Earth's destruction with a small trowel." They also commented that through the changes of Earth's representatives Bae Juwu and Kang Siyoung, "the story makes readers realize how much can change when one musters even a small amount of strength on their own."

The judging panel noted that, given the reality in which competition and the pressure of career paths are affecting younger age groups, this novel offers a different avenue for young readers. They stated, "This is a novel that makes readers realize they themselves determine the scale and direction of their lives," and added, "Curiously, after closing the book, one feels empowered."

The author Yunai was born in 1995 in Gwangju and graduated from the School of Film, TV & Multimedia at Korea National University of Arts. In 2026, she won the New Writer's Award in the fiction category from "Kultura." Her acceptance speech and details about the judging process will be published in the autumn 2026 issue of the quarterly magazine "Changbi Children."

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