The Hong Kong Prize and the US Nobel Peace Prize
The Hong Kong Prize is an open competition to win a flight ticket to visit Hong Kong and immerse yourself in the city’s culture. The competition starts on March 1 and is open to Southeast Asian residents, mainland Chinese residents and international applicants. To be eligible, participants must fill out a survey and submit a video to the World of Winners splash page.
The prize was created to honour the work of George B. Endacott, a distinguished lecturer of the Department of History and an early champion of research on Hong Kong history. Friends and students of the Department established the prize in his memory with a donation of HK$100,000, which was matched by the government under the Sixth Round of the Government Matching Scheme.
During his visit, the President will also attend a ceremony to award the Hong Kong-Shanghai Science and Technology Innovation Prize to outstanding scientists from the two cities and research-related institutions in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. The Prize, which is supported by the Hong Kong Economic Development Council and Shanghai Science and Technology Commission, recognises excellence in scientific innovation.
Last year, Beijing imposed a national security law that has allowed it to crack down on pro-democracy activists. Authorities rounded up several of them, including pro-independence campaigners Joshua Wong and Nathan Law. They are among those facing extradition to China, and a group of US lawmakers across party lines wrote a letter to the Nobel Peace Prize committee nominating the pro-democracy movement for the prize.
In a show of support for democracy activists in Hong Kong, the US lawmakers said that they expected more will be convicted under the national security law in coming months “for the sole reason of peacefully expressing their political views”. They added that it would be a shame to exclude Hong Kong from the prize.
Prize money for the top eight in each event is doubled at this year’s Games, with gold, silver and bronze medalists receiving HK$12m, HK$6m and HK$3m respectively. In addition, athletes who finish outside the top three but within the first four will receive HK$750,000, while those in fifth to eighth will get HK$375,000.
This is a major boost for the racing industry as it will encourage more horses to compete in the higher classes. The Club also lifted the prize money for Group 2 and Group 3 races to HK$5 million and HK$3.9 million, respectively. This will make it one of the most lucrative race seasons in Hong Kong history, and will provide an unparalleled incentive for all racers. In total, the Club will offer a record of over HK$90 million in prize money across 88 fixtures. The increase in prize money will benefit all racers, from novice jockeys to veteran trainers and owners. It will also encourage more people to take up the sport and help promote the development of horseracing in Hong Kong. The Club will continue to review the prize money structure in future, and will seek further enhancement where appropriate.