The Sowol Poetry Prize () is one of the most prestigious literary awards in South Korea. Established by the publishing company Moonhaksasangsa () in 1986, the prize aims to commemorate the soul of the poetry of Kim Sowol.
The awardees are selected through a two-round process. During the first round various published poems are chosen and evaluated by selected university professors, poets, literary critics, and editors-in-chief of Literature & Thought (, the literary magazine published by Moonhaksasangsa); readers of the magazine are also polled on their opinions. The selected entries then progress to the second round, in which ten works of poetry are ultimately chosen through rigorous discussion by the judges; the author of the winning poem receives the grand prize, while the remaining nine poems are listed as runners-up. Every year Moonhaksasangsa publishes a collection of that year's winning poems.
Winners List of recipients and the poem titles in chronological order.
Prize Year Title Author 1986 "The Bowl 1" () O Seyeong 1987 "The Forest and Birds of Our Nation" () Song Sugwon 1988 "At the Imjin River" () Jeong Ho-seung 1989 "A Telltale Song" () Yi Seongbok 1990 "Roaming Metonymy" () Kim Seunghui 1991 "Mountaintop Graveyard" () Jo Jeonggwon 1992 "Ascending Hwaum" () Kim Myeongin 1993 "A Lonely Painful Regret" () Hwang Ji-u 1994 "For the Sake of Altitude" () Im Yeongjo 1995 "Fastening Buttons" () Cheon Yanghui 1996 "On Seeing a Tall Man" () Mun Jeonghui 1997 "Why People Do Not Know" () Kim Yongtaek 1998 "Waiting for a Whale" () An Dohyeon 1999 "By Love, I" () Kim Jeongran 2000 "A Well-Ripened Apple" () Kim Hyesoon 2001 "On the Road of Camellia Woods of Baekryeon Temple" () Go Jaejong 2002 "Autumns of Earth" () Yi Munjae 2003 "Around, Mom's Doorae Table" () Jeong Ilgeun 2004 "On the Side of Amur River" () Park Jeong-dae박정대 2005 "The Pupil of Time" () Pak Jutaek 2006 "Around That Time" () Mun Tae-jun 2007 "In the Room Where Island Seop Is Seen" () Na Huideok 2008 "A Great Grand Sleep" () Jeong Kkeutbyeol 2009 "Except the Bright Beat of My Heart" () Pak Hyeongjun 2010 "In Air" () Song Jaehak 2011 "A Thousand Year Under the Peach Blossoms" () Bae Hanbong 2012 "A Meal On the Road" () Lee Jaemoo 2013 "Bukcheon-Crow" () Yoo Hongjoon
References