UPONATI Announces Winners of Its Inaugural Web Novel Contest on AI-Driven Storytelling Platform ODDNARY
UPONATI INC., the entity behind the AI-driven storytelling platform ODDNARY, declared the victors of its first web novel competition on the 6th. This contest, spanning from June 10 to July 9, catered to both burgeoning and seasoned writers within the romance and fantasy romance genres. From over 270 submissions, nine works were chosen, including the top prize winner ‘Friends with Something’, following an exhaustive review by industry experts. These authors will be awarded a total of 20 million won in prize money, in addition to opportunities for free serialization and further monetization opportunities on the ODDNARY platform. Dohyeon Kim, CEO of UPONATI INC., remarked, “The selection process was particularly challenging due to the high caliber of the submissions. I warmly congratulate the winners and extend my profound gratitude to all the participants, as well as to everyone who supported and showed interest in this contest.” As it gears up for the official launch of ODDNARY slated for October 1st, UPONATI is currently performing the final revisions after launching a beta version in July. Established in 2023 and steered by CEO Dohyeon Kim, UPONATI has assembled a formidable team, including AI analysis engine developers. The company holds five patents and has earned accolades such as the Seoul National University Venture Capital IR Excellence Award and the CBC Korea Entrepreneurship Contest Encouragement Award. It is also certified as a social venture by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and has forged strategic alliances with leading entities in the digital content sector. In June, UPONATI participated in South Korea’s largest AI event, the 2024 Smart Tech Korea (STK 2024) - AI & Big Data Show, where it demonstrated its primary services. The CEO Dohyeon Kim stated, “I am confident in asserting that UPONATI’s AI-based story analysis engine ranks among the global elite. It has the capability to discern which character is speaking by analyzing their dialogue, recognizing characters’ genders and age groups. Our technology can glean and deduce the fullest spectrum of information from a narrative, including the emotions of characters, the dynamics of their interactions, and intricate character depictions, translating this data into various forms of content such as images, videos, and sounds.” He further added, “This technology enables ODDNARY users to experience a level of engagement and immersion far surpassing that of conventional audiobooks. I am optimistic that ODDNARY will significantly enhance the service quality of the storytelling content platform industry.” 박원중 기자 (park.wonjun.ja@gmail.com)storytelling inaugural storytelling platform contest encouragement web novel
