South Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT said on May 13 it will accept applications from Tuesday through June 26 for the 2026 AI and extended reality (XR) service developer competition.

Now in its sixth year, the competition is open to any adult or teenager interested in developing services and content using AI, XR and 3D technologies. Startups founded within the past year can also participate. Categories include a developer track for building services using AI and XR technology and a creator track for producing content that users can experience on global platforms.

Last year's competition drew 695 teams, or 1,541 people, the largest turnout on record, and the competition rate reached 19.3 to 1.

Entries will be accepted through Aug. 27. After selecting 99 teams through a document review, the organisers will choose 33 final winning teams on Sept. 22 following presentation reviews. Winners will include 14 teams in the developer category, comprising 11 adult teams and 3 student teams, and 19 teams in the creator category, comprising 9 adult teams and 10 student teams. A total of 78 million won in prize money will be awarded along with prizes including awards from the deputy prime minister and the minister of science and ICT.

Participating teams will receive free access to about 30 types of XR devices, including Galaxy XR, Apple Vision Pro and Meta Quest 3, along with about 170 AI and XR educational content items. Teams that pass the document review will also take part in a 1-to-1 mentoring programme involving experts from outside organisations and sponsoring companies.

A total of 15 companies, both domestic and foreign, are sponsoring the event. In addition to existing sponsors such as Roblox and Nexon Korea, five companies are joining as new sponsors this year: Upstage, Newjack, Cinex, Wooridl and Hypercloud.

Final winning teams will receive support linked to employment and startups, including help with preparing IR materials, links to joint commercialisation projects with sponsors and internship opportunities. Top winning teams will also be given the chance to participate in the K-Digital Grand Championship, a tournament of champions involving winners of public and private digital competitions.

Nam Cheol-gi (남철기), director general for software policy at the ministry, said innovation across industry and daily life is accelerating as AI and XR technologies converge. He added he hopes the competition will serve as a stepping stone for young developers and creators to grow into key talent to lead the global AI and XR industry.