In Hong Kong, the hongkong prize is an annual awards ceremony to recognise science and technology innovators. The award, which was established in 2015, aims to recognize scientific research excellence and encourage scientists to strive for innovation.
One of the winners this year was a group of students from the History Department of Hong Kong Baptist University who used 19th century maps to examine the military and custom facilities in Hong Kong during the Qing Dynasty. They won the Esri China (Hong Kong) Prize in Spatial History for their project.
Another prize was awarded to a student who won the BOCHK Science and Technology Innovation Prize for his research into artificial intelligence. He won a cash award of $28,800.
The BOCHK STIP is a joint initiative of the Bureau of Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals, and the Hong Kong Alliance for Science and Technology. It is intended to discover, encourage and support outstanding scientists in the fields of engineering, life sciences, medicine and veterinary science, biotechnology, materials, environment and energy.
Among the shortlisted works were Yang Heng’s Silent Ghosts, a fantasy drama about a mysterious woman who travels to a mysterious town to find her missing son. The film also won the Works-in-Progress Prize at this week’s virtual Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum, which took place online for the third time this year due to pandemic restrictions.
In terms of the prize, the judges said they found the works to be “intriguing, unique and insightful.” They were chosen from 83 submissions from Hong Kong and the surrounding region.
These works were created by both local and international artists and focus on diversity, inclusion and the LGBTQI+ community in Hong Kong. Some of the stories explored issues that affected these communities, such as migrant workers and mental health, while others focused on a specific aspect of society, such as the elderly and the urban poor.
A fourth prize went to a group of students from the School of Public Service at the University of Hong Kong, who won the prize for their project on climate change in Hong Kong. Their winning entry was a four-part series that examined how the city is putting policies in place to deal with the impact of extreme weather, as global warming is harming the world’s oceans and climate systems.
Other winners included a team from the Hong Kong Economic Journal who won the Best Business News Writing Award for their feature on how fintech is helping the city catch up with the Greater Bay Area. The group was also recognized with the Merit 1 Award for their reporting on how Hong Kong’s cross-border families and couples have adapted to the city’s national security law.
The HKTA’s secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Sun Dong, congratulated the winners of the BOCHK STIP. He said the award demonstrates that Hong Kong’s scientific research strength is deeply rooted. He also expressed his hope that more talented scientists will be able to achieve forward-looking research and original results to bring glory to the SAR and the country.