hk prize is a non-profit, independent award to promote and recognise the best research on Hong Kong topics. The research submitted must have been published in a peer-reviewed journal within the past 10 years. The judging panel comprises renowned experts from different fields of academia and business. The winning research projects will be rewarded with HK$50,000 and a chance to present their ideas to key stakeholders in the development sector.
Several students from Hong Kong universities took home prizes for their entries in this year’s competition, with the top teams winning cash awards and valuable internship experience in top companies in Hong Kong. The competition has welcomed 520 proposals from students across 80 institutions over the last 20 years, and the winners are selected on the basis of their academic and professional judgement and their ability to communicate their ideas in a clear and compelling way.
The winners are honoured for their outstanding achievements in promoting the study of Hong Kong history, politics, society and culture. They also encourage the development of new theories, concepts and methodologies for studying Hong Kong and its relations with China and Asia. The HK Prizes are presented at the International Conference on Hong Kong Studies each year.
The HK Prizes are presented to scholars at the University of Hong Kong and postgraduate students who demonstrate excellence in their studies of Hong Kong. The award consists of two cash prizes: one for undergraduates and the other for postgraduates. The prize money is matched by the University through its Sixth Round of the Government Matching Scheme. The prize was named in memory of George B. Endacott, Lecturer (1946-57) and Senior Lecturer (1957-62) in the Department of History, who did much to re-establish the Department as one of the principal teaching and research units in the Faculty of Arts in the 1950s.
Its logo, a pearl and a pierced jade amulet, symbolises the prize’s twin principles: the spirit of self-challenge and the desire to achieve academic and professional excellence. This is reflected in the design of the trophy awarded to winners: an image of a young lady, a pearl and a pierced amulet in a circle, expressing the spirit of youth-driven development and the pursuit of excellence.
The prize money for this year’s competition has increased to a record high of HK$9.9 million, a significant increase of over HK$5 million from the previous year. The 2024 LONGINES Hong Kong International Races will offer a total of 12 Group 1 races with a purse of HK$126 million, and the three Group 1 races on FWD Champions Day will offer a further HK$74 million. These increases are a result of the strong support from sponsors. Unlike many other horse races around the world, all of the Group 1 races in Hong Kong feature a maximum of twelve runners. This has been made possible thanks to the strong support from the local community, as well as from the global horse racing industry and other sources of funding.