More than ever, 'excellence' is a word that encapsulates the University's aspirations and its expectations. In response, students, staff and alumni have found new ways to demonstrate the quality of the education offered here, striving to excel across the entire spectrum of achievement. As this chapter shows, many came up trumps on a local, national and international scale over the past year.
The University's traditional strengths in the arts were again on display this year, with a number of students and student groups winning accolades at local and international arts events. For their animation Hereafter, Animation and Visual Effects graduates Lui Wai-hang and Winki Wong Wun-ki gained an honourable mention at the Taiwan International Student Design Competition (digital animation category) and a Digital Creativity Award at the DigiCon6 ASIA Awards — Hong Kong. At the HK4As Students' Award (part of the prestigious Kam Fan Awards), two teams made the final and one of these took home both the gold award and the Best of Show award. The winning students were Ho Cheuk-lam, Ho Ka-chung, Lau Hoi-tong and Tsoi Hong-fu. Elsewhere, the National College Student Art Exhibition proved a stage for multiple successes for the University, with students and student teams winning awards for art education, film production, photography, design and drawing. Four students also scored awards in the Mascot Design Competition organized by Hong Kong News-Expo. Yee Kiu-yan and Fong Kam-man took first and second runners-up respectively, and Yeung Hei-ting and Sum Kin-fai won merit awards, all in the tertiary grade category.
University students and staff also demonstrated their talents in language and literature over the year, with multiple awards and recognitions gained. In prose writing, BA in Creative Writing and Film Arts student Tse Shing-tung took second runner-up prize in City University of Hong Kong's City Literary Awards, while MA in Creative Writing student Suo Peng won a merit award in a national intervarsity writing competition that attracted 4,000 entries. Another master's student, Lyu Zhaojun, took second class award in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area College Literature Writing Competition. In the Intervarsity Creative Writing Competition Award organized by Hong Kong Baptist University, four students from two programmes (Chinese Language Teaching and Applied Chinese Language Studies, and MA in Creative Writing) took out recognition awards for their entries — Chan Si-kan, Ip Suen-tung, Liu Jiaxin and Wu Ruixin.
The MA in Creative Writing also produced two budding student poets: Zhang Yuan won a merit award (tertiary group) in the Top 10 Student Poets Award, organized by Poetry Periodical, while Deng Xiaochuan gained an honourable mention in a Chinese college poetry writing competition that attracted almost 1,000 entries. Elsewhere, Kong Chun-ho from the Master of Arts in Chinese Literature programme was recipient of one of the Hong Kong Public Library Awards for Creative Writing in Chinese, gaining a merit prize in the literary criticism category, while English Language Teaching and English Language Studies student Peng Chen took third place in a divisional Mandarin speech contest organized by Toastmasters International. Proving that creativity can be taught, three Department of Creative Arts staff were presented with Best Paper awards at the 6th International Conference on Creative Writing in Chinese: they were Head of Department Dr Rebecca Leung Mo-ling, Dr Shawn Shao Dong, and Dr Marvin Yu Wenhan.
The University once again got on a roll in the subject area of business during the year. Students Adrian Chan Ching-hsiang, Yo Yo Chan Hiu-tung, Johnson Ho Chun-ho and Tony Shiu Ho-man teamed up to win the HSBC/HKU Hong Kong Business Case Competition, and advanced to the Asia-Pacific finals. In the Quest for Securities and Investment Elites (QSIE) Case Analysis Competition, two teams showed their worth, with Danica Mikhaela, Frias Samson and Tony Shiu Ho-man crowned champion and Chan Yung-yung and Nimisha Haresh Vasandani taking third place. In a similar event, the CGMA Global Business Challenge (Hong Kong), the team of Anosha Minhaj, Ismail Shah, Nimisha Haresh Vasandani and Simranjit Singh scored a creditable third place. Elsewhere, in the Inter-Institutional Competition on Facility Management Project Presentation organized by the International Facility Management Association Hong Kong Chapter, Simran Sanjaybhai Kalathiya and Anosha Minhaj won a Silver Trophy while a student in Computer Engineering, Xu Shenghao, gained a Certificate of Merit.
In the CFA Institute Research Challenge, Finance student Im Ming-kit teamed up with Corporate Governance students Choi Po-yee, Ho Man-fung, Lai Cheuk-yin and Tam Tsz-yan, and took third place. On another occasion, Choi Lok-chuen, Lam Chak-man, Mok Rong-yin and Wen Yating gained first runner-up slot in the Taxation Institute of Hong Kong online tax competition open to college students in the Greater Bay Area. Finance student Adrian Chan Ching-hsiang's essay for the Ethics Essay Competition jointly organized by ACCA Hong Kong and the CFA Institute was adjudged the winner, and will be published in the CFA Institute's Asia-Pacific Research Exchange. The University's interns, too, continued to impress. Accounting student Nicole Chu Ngai-tung won third place in the BDO Best Intern Scholarship Contest. As part of the Citi-HKCSS Community Intern Program, Stephanie Ching Chiu-yin (studying International Hospitality and Attractions Management) took home an Award for Excellence in recognition of her outstanding work at the Employment Services Centre of the Hong Kong Down Syndrome Association.
University staff were also prominent in awards for excellence. Dr Bryan Chiu Wei-sheng and Mr Marcus Chow Kin-fung of the Lee Shau Kee School of Business and Administration jointly won an Outstanding Paper Award at the prestigious Emerald Literati Awards for their publication on sports technology consumers. Another scholar, Dr Canice Kwan Man-ching, was awarded a Distinguished Paper Award for a paper she presented on visual space in communication at the Annual Academic Conference and Doctoral Consortium, organized by the Chinese Marketing Association of Universities.
The University's performance in computing in the year was no less impressive. At the HackaDay 2020: Capture the Flag Competition organized by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), the team of Jason Kwok Chun-wai, Lai Ming-wai, Jackson Lai Tit-hung and Li Bangjie aced the cybersecurity challenges to take the champion spot, in a field of 21 teams. Elsewhere, fresh graduates Li Shun-ki and Arthur Liu On-chun won the championship of the Final Year Project Competition organized by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Hong Kong Computational Intelligence Chapter, with fellow graduate Jason Kwok Chun-wai taking second runner-up place. Continuing the University's successes in computing, MPhil student Chan Yin-hei took out the Best Paper Award from the IEEE Symposium on Computer Applications and Industrial Electronics.
In the Hong Kong Social Enterprise Challenge, alumnus Vincent Mak Tsz-ching made his mark, teaming up with colleagues from other institutions to win first the Best Presentation Award and then the overall championship. Their innovative invention was 'Walkpner 2.0', a walking stick plugin that supports GPS tracking and can detect falls. In the Young Professionals Exhibition and Competition hosted by the Younger Members Section of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) Hong Kong, Internet Technology graduates Ho Lok-hei, Ma Hiu-tung and Henry Yee Chun-heng won the WSP Best Innovation Award for their project helping dyslexic children learn Chinese characters. At LiPACE, Diploma Yi Jin (Architectural Studies) students Hui Yuk-wing, Liu Ka-chun and Sim Ming-hei won the championship of the Social Innovation Inventor — Competition for Innovative Design Competition in the secondary school / Yi Jin group. Not to be outdone by students, Research Assistant Professor Dr Walter Ng Wing-shui and his team from another institution won a gold medal at the International Innovation and Invention Competition, for an innovative AR application for learning English.
Taking the University's Quality Enhancement Measures funding, the Library embarked on a year-long project developing an all-encompassing online Student Works Repository. The repository contains ingenious works by the University's students in a wide range of areas, including award-winning literary pieces, multimedia productions and designs, final-year projects, theses and dissertations, and items from service-learning programmes, all recommended by the University's Schools and Student Affairs Office.
Two sportspersons achieved creditable results in the University Sports Federation of Hong Kong (USFHK)'s 2020–21 tournaments. In the men's 100m sprint event, Sports and Recreation Management student Herry Wong Cheuk-hei took first runner-up spot. Elsewhere, in martial arts, Cheng Ka-hin from the Hotel and Sustainable Tourism Management programme battled his way to the first runner-up spot in the taekwondo poomsae style 7 and Keumgang.
In 2014, alumnus Dennis Cheung Pak-shun launched a programme called WeCycle that helps recovering drug users change their lives through sports. He was recognized for his dedicated work on the programme with the Hong Kong Humanity Youth Power award at Hong Kong Humanity Award 2020, organized by the Hong Kong Red Cross and Radio Television Hong Kong. In the new Junior Chamber International Hong Kong Outstanding Tertiary Students Selection, which received over 100 applications from 35 higher education institutions, the University proved its ability to draw talent when Professional Accounting student Lau Yin-yi was named one of the ten 2021 Outstanding Tertiary Students. Two other students looking to make teaching their profession, Hung Chun-ho and Lau Ka-ki from the double-degree programme in Chinese Language Teaching and Applied Chinese Language Studies, won merit awards at the 8th Outstanding Prospective Teachers Award.
Students from the University won an abundance of scholarships across the year. Under the Government's Self-financing Post-secondary Scholarship Scheme, 665 students gained scholarships totalling over HK$12 million in recognition of their all-round performance, progress, special talents, and endeavours in overcoming learning difficulties. Separately, the HK$50,000 'For Our Future' Scholarship awarded by the Greater Bay Area Homeland Youth Community Foundation was won by Mental Health Nursing student Hui Hei-ting, while HSBC Greater Bay Area (Hong Kong) Scholarships, each worth HK$80,000, were given to business students Chan Yu-mei and Simran Sanjaybhai Kalathiya. At LiPACE, several Higher Diploma in Japanese Studies students won scholarships from the Society of Japanese Language Education Hong Kong, while eight Diploma Yi Jin students received Sir Robert Black Trust Fund Scholarships.
The University was recognized for the excellence of its activities across a wide range of areas in the year, ranging from environmental initiatives to brand image. It was awarded a Triple Gold Award from the Web Accessibility Scheme for its continuous efforts to ensure its website is fully accessible to people of all ages and abilities, and a Wastewi$e Certificate of Excellence Level from the Environmental Campaign Committee in recognition of its efforts in green management, waste reduction and recycling. Another environmental accolade earned was the Silver Award of the Commendation Scheme on Source Separation of Commercial and Industrial Waste, awarded by the Environmental Protection Department to acknowledge the University's effective mechanisms for separating waste for recycling. On a different note, the promotional video produced by the University for its new Jockey Club Institute of Healthcare won a prestigious Questar Gold Award under the category of 'non-profit organizations: brand image campaign'. Having received the highest score in the non-profit organization category, this video went on to win the Questar 'Best of Non-profit Organization Grand Award'. This international accolade recognizes outstanding visual communications produced by different organizations.
Taiwan International Student Design Competition
Honourable mention (digital animation)
DigiCon6 ASIA Awards — Hong Kong
Digital Creativity Award
HK4As Students' Award
Gold, Best of Show
National College Student Art Exhibition
Multiple awards, incl. first class award (projects on reform and innovation in aesthetic education)
Hong Kong News-Expo Mascot Design Competition
First and second runners-up, merits (tertiary grade)
Hong Kong's City Literary Awards
Second runner-up (tertiary, prose)
A national intervarsity writing competition
Merit (prose)
Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area College Literature Writing Competition
Second class award
HKBU Intervarsity Creative Writing Competition Award
Recognition awards (fiction and poetry)
Poetry Periodical Top 10 Student Poets Award
Merit (tertiary)
A Chinese college poetry writing competition
Honourable mention
HKPL Literary Awards for Creative Writing in Chinese
Merit (literary criticism)
Toastmasters International District 89 Division O Mandarin Speech Contest
Second runner-up
HSBC/HKU Hong Kong Business Case Competition
Championship
QSIE Case Analysis Competition
Championship, second runner-up
CGMA Global Business Challenge (Hong Kong)
Second runner-up
IFMA Hong Kong Chapter Inter-Institutional Competition on Facility Management Project Presentation
Silver Trophy, Certificate of Merit
CFA Institute Research Challenge
Second runner-up
Taxation Institute of Hong Kong GBA inter-institutional online tax competition
First runner-up
ACCA and CFA Ethics Essay Competition
Championship
BDO Best Intern Scholarship Contest
Second runner-up
Citi-HKCSS Community Intern Program
Award for Excellence
HackaDay 2020: Capture the Flag Competition
Championship
IEEE Hong Kong Computer Intelligence Chapter Final Year Project Competition
Championship, second runner-up
Symposium on Computer Applications and Industrial Electronics
Best Paper Award
Hong Kong Social Enterprise Challenge
Best Presentation Award, overall championship
Young Professionals Exhibition and Competition
WSP Best Innovation Award
Social Innovation Inventor — Competition for Innovative Design Competition
Championship (secondary school / Yi Jin group)
USFHK men's 100m sprint
First runner-up
USFHK taekwondo poomsae style 7 and Keumgang
First runner-up
'For Our Future' Scholarship
HSBC Greater Bay Area (Hong Kong) Scholarships
Society of Japanese Language Education Hong Kong Scholarships
Sir Robert Black Trust Fund Scholarships
Hong Kong Humanity Award
Hong Kong Humanity Youth Power
Junior Chamber International Hong Kong Outstanding Tertiary Students Selection
Outstanding Tertiary Student
Outstanding Prospective Teachers Award
Merits
