Competitors participate in Seoul City's Space-Out Competition at Jamsu Bridge over the Han River in Seoul, May 21, 2023. Newsis

Seoul City's annual Space-Out Competition will return at 4 p.m. on May 12 on Jamsu Bridge over the Han River, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Friday.

The competition, which will mark the seventh of its kind this year, is aimed at changing a prevalent social norm that taking downtime is wasteful and spreading the idea that spending time doing nothing can be valuable.

The event has received huge attention since singer Crush became the first winner in 2016.

Participants are asked to sit still and do nothing for 90 minutes. Those who talk, check their smartphones, move around or fall asleep will be disqualified.

The winner is decided based on heart rate data and an on-site vote.

Organizers will measure heart rate of competitors every 15 minutes and award points. Those who maintain stability in their heart rate graph or show a downward curve will remain in the running.

On-site spectators will vote for those who they think are performing the best.

Competitors will be able to express needs by showing color cards to organizers. For example, a blue card means they need water, a red card means they need to get a massage and a yellow card means they need to be fanned to cool down.

The winner will be given a trophy and a certificate, while those coming in second and third will receive a certificate.

The city government will select 70 teams to participate. One team can have up to three members. Applications will be accepted until midnight on Monday.

A final list of participants will be announced at 11 a.m. on May 6 through the city government's website.