Agrifood Startup Contest Draws 521 Teams, 11 Reach Final

Eleven teams have made it to the final of South Korea’s 2026 Agrifood Startup Contest after 521 teams entered the competition. The final and awards ceremony will take place on the 16th at Lotte Central Research Institute’s Charlotte Hall in Magok-dong, Seoul.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs hosts the contest, while the Korea Institute of Startup and Entrepreneurship Development in Agriculture organizes it. Finalists will be judged on organizational capacity, technological strength, business prospects, market potential and their contribution to revitalizing the agricultural industry.

The competition will present 11 awards, including the President’s Award and the Prime Minister’s Award. Total prize money stands at 125 million won. Final rankings will combine scores from five experts, 10 investors and a 10-member public evaluation panel. Each team will give a seven-minute presentation followed by eight minutes of questions and answers.

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This year’s top 11 teams are showing new possibilities for the agricultural industry in areas including foodtech, agtech, and AI and ICT platforms.

Ahead of the final, the institute provided about five months of dedicated mentoring, investor-relations pitching consultations, investment meetups and exhibition opportunities. Six sponsors, including Lotte Central Research Institute, NongHyup, CJ CheilJedang and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization’s Korea Investment Promotion Office, will support the teams’ follow-up commercialization.

The contest will be livestreamed on the agriculture ministry’s YouTube channel, NongrowaTV. The event will also feature promotional booths for the top 11 teams, an exhibition on the contest’s history and achievements, a startup consultation area, events and photo zones. Held annually since 2015, the contest has expanded beyond finding startups to connecting them with investment and market opportunities.

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We will continue supporting the contest so that it leads to real growth opportunities for the participating teams rather than remaining simply a competition.