The Hong Kong Prize is an annual prize established in 2012 to promote the study of Hong Kong studies. The prize is open to all enrolled secondary school students in Hong Kong. Students must be nominated by their teachers to enter and can submit up to three artworks before the submission deadline. Each winner will receive HK$8,000 and their school will receive HK$20,000. The prize is sponsored by the Society for Hong Kong Studies.
The prestigious Hong Kong Film Awards (HKFA) are a key event on the local film industry’s calendar and have been running since 1993. The awards are voted by members of thirteen professional film bodies in Hong Kong and are presented during a gala ceremony at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in December each year.
Among the big winners this year was The Arrangement, a gripping drama about an ailing mother and her adult son who try to keep her family together after the death of their father. The film won seven prizes including best actor for Aaron Kwok and best actress for Jessie Li. Other top films included action thriller Redemption, starring Jackie Chan and Jet Li, and police thriller Port of Call, starring Aaron Kwok and newcomer Sam Lee.
Aside from the prestige of winning a prize, Olympic medalists can also earn huge sums of money by winning bonuses from their respective sport’s governing bodies and schools. For example, runner Cheung Chun-ho, who won the men’s 10,000 metres, will receive a bonus of HK$3 million from his former school Lam Tai Fai College under its Outstanding Athletes Incentive Awards Scheme. He will also be awarded a lump sum of HK$5 million from the Hong Kong Sports Federation for winning the gold medal in the race.
In the field of education, there are many scholarships and grants available for students in Hong Kong. Some of these are based on academic performance, while others are based on social circumstances and are intended to help students who have a financial need. In addition to these, the Government provides a number of scholarship schemes to encourage students from all sectors to pursue their dreams of studying in Hong Kong.
BOCHK Science and Technology Innovation Prize
The Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Prize is an award funded by BOCHK and given to researchers who have made breakthroughs in scientific innovation and have significant influences on the transformation of R&D outcomes. Applicants may be either individuals or teams. No more than five people (or teams) shall be rewarded in each of the award fields per year.
The prize consists of a cash prize and an honourable plaque. The winner of each category will be announced at an awards ceremony held in the first week of October, which will be officiated by representatives of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and central government agencies. The ceremony will be televised and broadcast on RTHK. In addition, an exhibition will be held in the lead-up to the award ceremony to showcase the achievements of past winners.