The Hongkong Prize
The hongkong prize is one of the world’s leading awards for innovation and social advancement. It was established in 2015 by property tycoon and casino magnate Lui Che-woo with the aim of “advancing world civilisation” and “inspiring people to build a more harmonious world.” The award recognizes outstanding achievements that enhance welfare, promote sustainability and encourage positive energy.
The winner of the prize receives HK$30 million (equivalent to US$3.8 million), split into cash and a project fund. The prize is open to a range of disciplines and is awarded in two categories: the Yidan Prize for Education Research, which recognises outstanding contributions to educational research; and the Yidan Prize for Education Development, which rewards pioneering educational innovation.
Laureates are chosen by an international jury from a pool of applicants in five fields: technology; social and cultural development; sustainable lifestyles; welfare betterment; and positive energy (or promoting a more harmonious society). Each year, a number of candidates are shortlisted for the final round of review, which will be conducted by a panel of experts.
There is a wide range of ways to enter the competition, which includes through a website, a newsletter or a Facebook page. The winner is announced in March and a ceremony held later in the year.
The prize is accompanied by a series of initiatives that aim to engage the global community in conversation about the value of education. These include a world-wide lottery for flight tickets to the prize-giving ceremony, which gives locals an opportunity to make up for lost travel time; and a philanthropic program that seeks to support young Hong Kongers’ earliest educational endeavors.
Awarded to the best-submitted manuscript by a humanities scholar in the early stages of their career, this prize was revived in 2020 as part of a new initiative to reward early-career scholars of Chinese and English literature and history. It is designed to stimulate a discussion amongst humanities scholars across the globe and provides encouragement for early-career scholars to submit their first monographs in Chinese-English translation.
It also seeks to foster communication and collaboration amongst scholars around the globe, with a focus on those working in Hong Kong. In addition to the main prize, the Academy will offer a First Book Prize for Hong Kong-based researchers who have submitted their first monograph in the field of Hong Kong history.
Those who are interested in entering the competition should consult the guidelines for submissions, which can be found on the Academy’s website. The deadline for entries is usually the end of February or the beginning of March, although there may be an extension due to extraordinary circumstances.
As an alternative, those who do not have the time or money to submit their monograph can apply for a grant through the Hong Kong Academy of the Humanities. The grants are for research projects that benefit the community.
The HKFA Film Awards are open to all films that have been commercially released in Hong Kong within the previous calendar year. In order to qualify, the film must satisfy two of the three criteria, which include that the director of the film is a Hong Kong resident; and that at least six of the production crew are Hong Kong residents.
