Hong Kong’s 2024 Olympic athletes will have an even better chance of making a name for themselves on the global stage, thanks to increased cash incentives. Chief Secretary for Administration Eric Chan Kwok-ki announced the prize money increase during a flag-raising ceremony at the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon, where he encouraged local challengers to strive for glory in Paris. He also revealed that the prize money for individual gold medalists will be raised by 20 percent, enabling them to take home up to HK$6 million ($768,000).
A prestigious award for young art talent will see its best-ever results this year, with the winner of the Hong Kong Youth Arts Competition taking home a prize of HK$40,000 ($5,500). The competition is jointly organised by the Hong Kong Museum of Art and a local foundation, and has been held annually since 2009.
This year, the jury will look at submissions that are “original and creative” to determine the winners. The jury will comprise representatives from the museum and the foundation as well as professional arts workers and critics. The winning submissions will be announced in April 2019.
The BOCHK Science and Technology Innovation Prize is an international merit-based award that seeks to recognise outstanding scientific researchers in Hong Kong or research-related institutions set up by Hong Kong higher education institutions in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area for their remarkable achievements in scientific and technological innovation and transformation. It is aimed at inspiring science and technology entrepreneurs to explore new territory, work together to boost Hong Kong’s strengths, serve the country and contribute to the world.
In a ceremony on Sunday, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra received this year’s HK Phil Award for its four-year project to record and release the complete Wagner Ring Cycle. The HK Phil is grateful to the Government of Hong Kong and its Principal Patron, the Swire Group, as well as to music-lovers around the world for their support.
The HK Film Awards, which were first established in 1993 and then incorporated into the Hong Kong Film Workers Association Ltd in 1994, are a major event in local cinematography. Its judging panel is made up of representatives from thirteen professional film bodies and a selected group of adjudicators. Voting on eligible films takes place from January through March each year, and the winners are determined by a majority vote of registered voters, which include local film workers and critics.
During the mass pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong last year, thousands of police officers, foreign tourists or students from mainland China and innocent residents were attacked by anti-government protesters, while public facilities including subway stations, traffic lights and street lamps were vandalized. This caused serious inconvenience to the community. In response to this, the HK Film Award’s jury members have decided not to award any film that has scenes showing these incidents, in order to ensure impartiality and fairness of the award process. They are also urging all parties involved in the award to respect professional ethics.