The BOCHK Science and Technology Innovation Prize honors Hong Kong’s leading scientists with the goal of attracting global top scientific talent, cultivating forward-looking scientists, and making Hong Kong into an international research and technology hub. Individuals or teams who have made significant advances in one or more of five fields – Artificial Intelligence and Robotics; Life/Health; New Materials/New Energy/Advanced Manufacturing or FinTech will each receive a prize worth HK$2 Million plus certificates and trophies as award recipients.
Dr Thein Swee Lay was awarded the Shaw Prize (Life Science and Medicine). Not only is she a graduate of Universiti Malaya but she’s also Malaysian living in Hong Kong! Her groundbreaking research into haemoglobin switching mechanisms may lead to revolutionary therapies against diseases like sickle cell anaemia and thallasemia.
Hong Kong artists made history this year when nine artists from their city made it onto the shortlist, the highest representation ever. Of this number, nearly two-thirds are women – an unprecedented figure. Winners were announced at a ceremony hosted in Hong Kong on Thursday.
Wong Ka-hon and Yin Yeung’s film exploring elderly experiences in Hong Kong won this year’s prize, receiving accolades for its “deep insight into their lives” as well as emotional cinematic language used.
One of the highlights of this year’s awards ceremonies was Tencent Foundation’s Xplorer Prize. This prize encourages young scientists from Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau to conduct research into underexplored areas of basic sciences and frontier technologies. Pony Ma, chairman and chief executive officer of Tencent was among its judges for this prestigious prize.
The Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF), established in 1977, is Hong Kong’s longest-running film award. Each year since, films that meet three criteria (produced in Hong Kong; director is an HKIFF jury member; producer worked on at least two previous IFF films in past 10 years) receive this honor. This year alone saw record entries: 76 feature films and 42 short films from around the globe were submitted and winners were revealed on February 8.