Models from 35 countries to compete in 'model Olympics' in Seoul next month
A promotional poster for the Seoul Model Festival 2026 / Courtesy of Asia Model Festival Organizing Committee
About 500 models representing 35 countries will gather in Seoul next month for what organizers call the world’s first Olympic-style modeling competition.
The Seoul Model Festival 2026 runs from Nov. 23 to 25 at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul and Gocheok Sky Dome in Guro District, according to the Asia Model Festival Organizing Committee, which is hosting the event.
Models chosen from 50 cities will compete as national representatives in three categories: fashion, advertising and beauty.
The theme of the event is “Models wearing the beauty, fashion and arts industries.” The Korea Model Association and a Korean association of professional makeup artists are co-organizing it, and the Seoul Metropolitan Government is a sponsor.
Organizers said the festival is different from conventional fashion shows and modeling contests because it treats models as athletes and the runway as a playing field. Judges will score contestants on walking, posing, expression, creativity and teamwork.
Designers, brands and makeup, hair and nail artists will team up with the models to complete each entry.
The fashion category includes a creative model contest on the theme “Wearing my story,” along with couple and group events that test chemistry and shared storytelling.
In the advertising category’s product model contest, models must convey a product or brand’s features through facial expressions, poses and movement. There are also kids and junior divisions.
In the beauty category, judges will assess how well the work of makeup, hair and nail artists combines with a model’s movement and stage presence.
The festival opens on Monday, Nov. 23, at Gwanghwamun Square, the capital’s main public plaza.
Flag bearers and models from the participating countries will present their traditional attire on an outdoor stage. A parade of traditional costumes from all 35 countries will follow, crossing the square and heading up the central staircase of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts.
One special performance will be a beauty gala show inspired by “The King’s Warden,” the hit period film about a boy king from the Joseon Dynasty who was deposed and sent into exile.
There will also be a body painting performance based on “The Last Empress,” a Korean musical about Empress Myeongseong, who was assassinated by Japanese agents in 1895. Designers from around the world will also stage a fashion show titled “HERITAGE RE,” in which they reinterpret their countries’ cultural heritage as contemporary fashion.
Organizers will produce photos and videos of the parade and performances and distribute them through participating countries and overseas partner networks.
On Nov. 24 and 25, the competition moves to Gocheok Sky Dome, Korea’s first domed baseball stadium, which also often hosts large K-pop concerts.
The second day features modeling contests, runway shows by Korean and international designers and industry exchange programs. The final day is devoted to makeup, hair and nail contests and ends with an awards ceremony and closing ceremony.
Panels of Korean and international experts in each field will judge entries on technique, expression, creativity, collaboration and overall completeness. The public will choose the winner of a separate Citizens’ Choice Award by voting through QR codes.
Organizers expect about 2,000 people to come to Seoul for the event, including overseas models, designers, beauty artists and officials from the fashion and beauty industries, and have planned programs that connect participants with the city’s tourist attractions, shopping, arts, K-fashion and K-beauty experiences.
They said they hope participants will share their experiences on social media after they return home and act as informal cultural ambassadors for Seoul.
The new festival builds on the international network of the Asia Model Festival, which holds its 21st edition this year. The Asia Model Festival’s programs include Face of Asia, a contest to discover new models; the Asia Open Collection, a show in which models, designers and beauty artists work together; and the Asia Model Awards, which honor achievements in fashion and beauty by models, entertainers, celebrities and influencers.
“The Seoul Model Festival is not an event just for models. It is a new platform for international cultural exchange, built around models, where fashion, beauty, art, tourism and industry grow together,” the committee said.
“We will help Seoul become a global center of the fashion and beauty culture industry. Top models from around the world will compete and interact here, then take the culture and content they experienced in Seoul back to their home countries and the world.”