Calling all rising K-Pop stars! The Korean Cultural Center Washington, D.C. (KCCDC) is proud to announce the return of the Changwon K-Pop World Festival DC, our regional competition for this year’s Changwon K-Pop World Festival. This global competition aims to discover the next generation of K-Pop stars from around the world, offering slick prizes and a chance to compete on stage at the world finals in Korea!

2022 Washington, D.C. Preliminary Key Dates 

Online Registrations Due: July 5, 2022

Preliminary Event: July 9 at 2:00 pm (EST) at the Korean Cultural Center Washington, D.C. 

Overview

Regional competitions for the 2022 Changwon K-Pop World Festival are being held worldwide this summer, and the finals are tentatively set to take place in September in Changwon, Korea. For the Washington, D.C. region, this preliminary will accept applications through July 5. In total, three artists or groups will be selected as finalists (two from the Performance category and one from the Vocal category). 

Finalists will then also be considered for the world finals in Korea, with their original regional competition performance as their entry. Those who are then selected for the world finals will be invited to go to Korea and perform there live.

All information in this announcement is specific to the Washington, D.C. Preliminary (other regional preliminaries may differ).

How to Take Part

To compete in the 2022 Changwon K-Pop World Festival DC, contestants must meet the eligibility requirements below and then complete and submit the online application form. Be sure to read all the details below before applying (scroll down to read more). 

Once you're ready, complete the application form here!

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants don’t need to have professional performance experience—just a passion for Korean pop music!

Because the Changwon K-Pop World Festival is intended to spotlight passion for K-Pop abroad and for learning the Korean language, those with Korean citizenship, or who have held Korean citizenship in the past, and those with at least one parent who has Korean citizenship or has held Korean citizenship in the past, are not eligible.

Those in the U.S. on a short-term or tourism basis at the time of the audition are not eligible to compete. International students, non-U.S. citizens, and U.S. citizens may still be eligible to apply, however, as long as they are currently living in the U.S., such as for school or another long-term purpose. Applicants do not need to be local to the Washington, D.C. region to enter this regional preliminary competition.

Those who are a finalist in another K-Pop World Festival regional competition in 2022 are not eligible to apply to the K-Pop World Festival DC competition.

Applicants found not to have adhered to these requirements at any point may be immediately disqualified.

Competition Categories & Criteria

Those taking part in the Changwon K-Pop World Festival DC can compete as a group (team) or as an individual in the one category featured this year:

Performance Category (primarily dance; singing is optional, or including a pre-recorded track is acceptable): 

- Any K-Pop dance cover (1 performance)

Vocal Category:

- Any K-Pop song cover (1 song)

Judging criteria will be as follows:

Performance Category

- Choreography (composition and uniformity): 30%

- Expression: 40%

- Stage charisma: 30%

Vocal Category

- Vocal proficiency: 30%

- Vocal expression and pronunciation: 40%

- Stage charisma: 30%

Judges

Judges for the Washington, D.C. Preliminary are currently being selected. Judges will be professional performers independent from the KCCDC.

Winners & Prizes

1st Place (Performance & Vocal): Trophy and prize (approximately $300)

2nd Place (Performance): Trophy and prize (aproximately $200)

Note: only three winners as outlined above will be considered for possible invitation to the world finals. The process of consideration for the world finals will be done separately by judges in Korea based on the original entry submission in this preliminary.