A competition to freely develop software using open source with a total prize pool of 58 million won has officially begun.

The Ministry of Science and ICT (Minister Lee Jong-ho) is holding the '2024 Open Source Software Developers Conference' to revitalize the open source ecosystem, including discovering and fostering creative software talents who lead innovation in new industries.

The 'Open Source Software Developers Competition' is a project competition where participants freely develop software using open source, which is the source of core technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, and cloud. Over the past 17 years, it has established itself as a representative competition of the open source industry and collaboration culture, with over 5,000 teams (over 13,000 people) participating and over 370 teams (over 1,000 people) producing outstanding project teams.

This year marks the 18th edition of the competition, and anyone interested in open source software (students, the general public, etc.) can participate. Applications can be submitted online (www.oss.kr) from May 29 to July 4.

There are three types of projects: free projects, designated projects (corporate type, social problem type), and sustainable development projects. Online education and expert mentoring, including developers participating in famous open source projects, are provided to strengthen participants' development capabilities and enhance the quality of their submissions.

Each participant (team) must submit their entry by August 28, and through the first round of written evaluation Approximately 40 finalists are selected, and the completeness of the projects is enhanced through intensive guidance, such as specialized mentoring by field, for about one month. After a presentation evaluation, 19 final winners are determined.

The 19 final selected winners (teams) will receive certificates and a total of 58 million won in prize money. The prestigious Grand Prize winners (teams) will be awarded the Minister of Science and ICT Award (students, general) and 10 million won in prize money each.

Hwang Kyu-chul, Director General of Software Policy at the Ministry of Science and ICT, stated, “As open source emerges as a new strategic tool for the era of artificial intelligence and its importance grows day by day, this competition, which has contributed to fostering excellent open source development talent for 17 years, will become an even more meaningful year.” He added, “I hope this competition will go beyond discovering creative talent and nurturing excellent developers to become a foundation for driving new digital industries.”