Seoul Garden Competition 2027

Seoul International Garden Show 2027 invites professionals to design and build five permanent show gardens in Namsan Park. Under the theme “Admiring Flowers in Namsan,” each garden occupies approximately 250 m². The competition combines a design selection with construction and maintenance obligations.

Brief and design responsibilities

Entrants initially choose one of five sites. The final site is allocated at the workshop and may differ from the proposed location, requiring design adjustments. Planting, public accessibility, safe circulation and long-term maintenance are central to the brief. Large installations are discouraged; useful places to rest are encouraged.

Selected designers must oversee construction and arrange maintenance through the exhibition period. Overseas entrants may appoint a local construction supervisor and maintenance representative. Attendance at the opening and related events is also required. This is a delivery commitment, not simply an ideas submission.

What to submit

Submit the prescribed application, consent and compliance forms, with a representative form for teams; an A2 JPG board at 300 dpi; an A4 design description of up to 12 pages excluding cover and contents; and an anonymous portfolio of up to five A4 pages. The board requires a blank 20 × 20 mm identification box at the upper right, positioned 10 mm from the edges.

The description must cover the garden story, plans, sections and elevations, planting, construction schedule and itemized costs. Declare any AI-generated visual material. Only one design is permitted per applicant, and submitted material cannot be amended. Korean or English submissions are accepted, with the Korean text prevailing. Send entries to 2027sigs@gardenist.co.kr.

Schedule

The second round uses a five-minute presentation. Overseas applicants may participate remotely or submit the specified anonymous video; English videos require subtitles. Construction and maintenance plans are part of this stage.

Budget, awards and payment

The KRW 100 million per garden is a project budget, not a cash prize. Excluding VAT, it comprises KRW 15 million for design, KRW 80 million for construction and KRW 5 million for maintenance. Construction funding is split between an advance and a payment after completion; maintenance payment follows the exhibition. Any budget overrun is the entrant’s responsibility.

Separate awards total KRW 28 million: one gold award of KRW 10 million, two silver awards of KRW 6 million each and two bronze awards of KRW 3 million each. These follow assessment of the completed gardens. The brief provides limited airfare support for one overseas participant, capped at KRW 1 million from Asia or KRW 3 million from elsewhere; accommodation and living expenses are not provided.

Jury, criteria and rights

Individual jurors are not named in the reviewed brief. Its scoring table assigns 25 points to creativity, 20 to practicality, 20 to theme, 15 to construction feasibility and 20 to safety. Selection proceeds through document, presentation and built-garden reviews.

Creators retain copyright. The brief permits specified public-interest, non-commercial promotional uses of awarded work, with attribution as the default; uses beyond that scope or a rights transfer require a separate agreement.

✦ ArchUp Competition Review

This is a credible opportunity to test a garden through occupation, weather and maintenance rather than a single rendering. A strong entry should make planting structure, seasonal change, accessible routes and construction details legible. The 20-point safety criterion gives practical public use substantial weight.

The financial distinction matters: the designer’s allocated fee is KRW 15 million, while the larger headline amount must also deliver and maintain the garden. Foreign entrants should establish the Korean contractor relationship and cash-flow responsibilities before committing. A possible change of site after selection can add redesign effort within that budget.

Our document check found clerical inconsistencies: the English brief’s opening sentence mentions 2026 despite its 2027 title and schedule, while the municipal notice includes a reference to 2025 guidelines. These do not change the clearly stated 9 December 2026 submission deadline. The gardens are described as permanent, but the detailed retention arrangement is to be agreed later; clarify responsibility after the show before signing.

Related reading: Courtyard Stories 2027, another brief addressing the relationship between landscape and inhabited space.

Reviewed 14 November 2026 against the 23-page English open call, official municipal notice, poster and downloadable submission package. Poster: Seoul Metropolitan Government / SIGS.