The Hongkong Prize is a lottery that offers a jackpot prize of HK$100 million. Proceeds from the bets are deducted from the prize fund and used for various taxes and causes. The winning numbers are announced every Friday at a public ceremony. The first-place winner gets a cash prize of HK$10 million, the second place winner a hefty HK$7.8 million and the third place winner a smaller HK$3 million prize. The rest of the money goes to a variety of charities and institutions, including schools, sports teams, medical services, etc.
The prizes were established in memory of the late Mr Sung Chi-Wing and Mrs Cheng Pui-Lan by their family and friends, to encourage Hong Kong students to study Hongkong history, which is a subject that has become increasingly popular. The competition is held annually and is sponsored by the Hongkong Jockey Club (HKJC). The contest is supervised by employees of HKJC’s security and customer service departments, who carefully check and test all materials involved in the draw, from boxing to transport, on a daily basis. The balls are also weighed and examined by X-ray on a regular basis and the draw machine is locked after each drawing. The same set of balls are not used for two consecutive draws.
Besides the grand prize, the finalists are awarded merit awards for their written reports and face-to-face interviews. The judging criteria include relevance of the theme, systematic use of collected materials, objectiveness of analysis and the citation of bibliography and footnotes.
In the past 20 years, the hongkong prize has attracted many young researchers and students to pursue research in Hong Kong. Currently, there are ten award fields, covering a wide range of scientific disciplines. The winners are selected through a review process by the panel of judges, comprising distinguished scholars and experts from the community. Each winner will receive a monetary award, a certificate and a trophy.
Hongkong’s scientists are a force to be reckoned with in the global arena. They are renowned for their cutting-edge discoveries, which can transform our lives in different ways. They are the pillars of our future economy, and it is essential to support them so that they can continue to drive innovation in Hong Kong.
This year, the BOCHK Science and Technology Innovation Prize 2023 was presented to five outstanding scientists in their respective fields – Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, Life and Health, New Materials and New Energy, Advanced Manufacturing and FinTech. This award has enhanced the status of Hong Kong as a scientific hub further, and has attracted attention in the Mainland and even worldwide. We are pleased to have the honour of sponsoring this prestigious prize. We look forward to a successful future for this prize in the years to come.
