Naver WEBTOON is stepping up efforts to expand its short-form animation ecosystem with a new creator rewards program. The company announced on October 2 that it will distribute roughly US$70,000 (₩100 million) in monthly incentives to creators on its recently launched service, Cuts.
The initiative was officially unveiled during “Cuts Creators Day,” held at Naver’s Green Factory headquarters in Seongnam on October 1, with around 100 creators from the first batch of participants in attendance.
Beginning in November, Naver WEBTOON will launch the “Cuts Fund Share” program, which will reward creators based on their content’s view counts. The pilot will run for three months, through January, allowing creators to test and grow their reach while earning from their short-form works.
The company also plans to hold bi-monthly challenges, where creators can submit content based on given keywords. A total of 300 selected participants will receive approximately US$20 each in recognition of their submissions.
Launched on September 1, Cuts is Naver WEBTOON’s newest feature aimed at transforming traditional webtoon storytelling into bite-sized, animated clips. Alongside highlight-style adaptations of existing webtoons, Cuts also features original short-form animations, giving creators a new space to experiment and connect with audiences.
Drawing inspiration from the popularity of YouTube Shorts and TikTok, Naver WEBTOON hopes Cuts will lower the barrier to entry for animation creators—welcoming everything from studio-produced shorts to experimental works made by independent artists. The company is also exploring ways to integrate generative AI tools to help streamline animation production and empower more creators to join the platform.
With its combination of incentives, challenges, and creative freedom, Naver WEBTOON Cuts represents the company’s latest push to evolve the webtoon experience and bridge the gap between comics, animation, and creator-driven media.
Source: Anime News Network
