Lotte Group has opened the LOTTE AX Challenge 2026, its first recruitment-linked AI competition, with seven affiliates setting tasks, OpenAI providing technical support and judging, and seven winners sharing 20 million won plus an internship path.
Lotte Group has opened its first recruitment-linked artificial intelligence competition, the LOTTE AX Challenge 2026, aimed at finding practically trained talent for its AI transformation, known inside the group as AX.
Anyone able to plan and develop AI agents can enter, regardless of education level or age. Preliminary applications open on October 28 and close on November 4, with entrants choosing one of seven tasks set by the participating affiliates and submitting a proposal and portfolio outlining their solution.
The seven affiliates are Lotte Wellfood, Lotte Chilsung Beverage, Lotte Chemical, Lotte Homeshopping, Lotte Hotel, Lotte Innovate and Fujifilm Korea. OpenAI is providing technical support, supplying a development environment for AI agents and joining the judging. The final round runs November 24 to 25 at the Osan campus of the Lotte Human Resources Development Institute, where participants will build working AI agents based on their proposals, judged on fit, completeness and command of AI technology.
The details here come from Lotte itself: both Korean outlets carrying the announcement use the group's own poster and the same dates, affiliates and prize terms, so there is no independent confirmation beyond Lotte's announcement to report. The prize total is 20 million won, reported as about $14,000, to be shared by seven winners, who will also be offered an internship with a path to full-time employment if they apply through the group's practice-oriented hiring track.
A Lotte official said that as AI technology becomes a core competitive advantage, securing AI talent early is growing more important, and the group will keep identifying outstanding talent so they can grow into people who lead its AI transformation. For applicants, the contest is therefore less a showcase than a hiring funnel: the prize money is modest, but the internship path is the real offer, and the November final will show whether the group's affiliates get working agents or merely promising proposals.