Hong Kong has been in the news for a variety of reasons, but perhaps none more so than the pro-democracy protests that have gripped the city since June. The effervescent and defiant protests have received support from around the world and, most recently, from US lawmakers. In a letter to the Nobel Peace Prize committee, nine lawmakers from both parties praised the activists as a global inspiration despite Beijing’s crackdown.
The BOCHK SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION PRIZE will be awarded annually to scientists and technologists who have made outstanding contributions in the areas of scientific or technological innovation and development, their transformation into valuable products or services, and the creation of social or economic value. Nominations will be reviewed by a panel of experts from the academic community and the business sector, with the help of representatives from government agencies in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. The operation of the prize will be carried out professionally, objectively and fairly.
The winner of the BOCHK SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Innovator Award will receive an engraved gold medal and a cash prize of up to HK$200,000, in addition to other benefits. The winning team will share a further cash prize of up to HK$100,000, while the runner-up and three other finalist teams will be given a cash prize of up to HK$20,000. In addition, a non-profit organisation will be supported by the prize fund to conduct expressive arts workshops for children from disadvantaged communities in Hong Kong.
This year’s Chinese New Year Snowball draw will see the prize fund reach a record high of HK$188 million, with a single HK$10 winning unit able to claim up to HK$188. Meanwhile, the prize fund for the raceday on January 31 will be boosted to a record HK$20.8 million, with a HK$2.8 million jackpot added to the Quartet and First 4 Merged Pool.
Athletes who win Olympic medals for Hong Kong will also benefit from a boost to their financial reward. The Jockey Club Athlete Incentive Awards Scheme will see individual gold medallists rewarded with HK$6 million, while a further HK$3 million and HK$1.5 million will be paid to silver and bronze team medallists respectively.
A number of Hong Kong-based artists have made it onto the shortlist for this year’s HK Art Prize. Nine of the 20-strong shortlist are from the city, representing more than half of all shortlisted artists. This makes it the most represented city at the prize in its history. Noormah Jamal, whose painting Did the Seed Grow? features two figures whose vacant expressions reflect the disengagement of society, is one of them. The rest of the shortlist includes a diverse range of contemporary artists, including Chinese artist Zhao Wei and Japanese sculptor Nobuo Uematsu. The winners will be announced at a ceremony on December 8.