‘The majesty of 10,000 viewers’
The LoL Academy Series, the hotly anticipated competition that attracted more than 10,000 concurrent viewers to this year’s finals, is about to embark on another journey, starting with a call for participants.
The Korea Esports Association unveiled plans for the first half of the 2024 LCK Academy Series on Monday.
Living up to its slogan, “#THE BEGINNING OF LEGEND,” the LCK Academy Series is a stage where aspiring LoL players and academy teams affiliated with LCK teams can compete and fulfill their dreams of making their professional debut. The LCK Academy Series was introduced in 2020 and is now in its fifth year, hosted by the LCK League, organized by the Korea Esports Association, broadcast by Nice Game TV, and sponsored by Woori Bank.
Last year, we held six open tournaments, two tryouts, and two Academy Leagues. In particular, the two tryouts provided prospective players with the opportunity to meet with LCK teams and receive feedback, resulting in 14 players joining LCK teams.
In particular, Genji Global Academy called up all six players from the 2023 Academy Series to the 2024 LCK Challengers League. In this way, the LCK Academy Series is establishing a virtuous cycle by providing players with the opportunity to join and play for LCK teams.
The 2024 LCK Academy Series will be divided into the first and second halves of the year, with three open tournaments, one tryout, and one Academy League per half. In the first half of the year, three open tournaments will be held from January to March, followed by tryouts in April. The Open Tournament is open to all aspiring professional players who meet the eligibility requirements.
The tryout is an event where players with the best performance in the open tournament participate in training, practice games, etc. to try to join the LCK Team Academy. Then, from May to June, the Academy League will be held, in which LCK’s academy teams will participate. The second half of the tournament will follow the same structure, and the schedule will be announced at a later date. The prize money for the open tournament is 2 million won for the first place team and 1 million won for the second place team. The total prize pool for the LCK Academy League is 13 million won for both the first and second halves.
The first open tournament of the LCK Academy Series will kick off on Sunday, January 28. Anyone who owns an account in Split 2 of the 2023 Season and Diablo 4 of the 2024 Season who is at least 12 years old is eligible to participate, and teams of five players are encouraged to apply.
However, players who are registered on the LCK Unified Roster and CL Sub-Roster, or who have played in the LCK, LCK Challengers League, or other professional leagues within the last six months, are not eligible to participate. One designated player from each team will be exempted from the participation restrictions under the LCK Unified Rules.
Entries can be submitted via this link until 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, April 14. For more information on the tournament, please visit the LCK Academy Series website.