Five Initiatives to Help Shape the Future of Hong Kong
In an ever-changing world, Hong Kong is reshaping its future role as a global centre of international innovation and technology. This week, we feature a number of Hong Kong-based initiatives to support our city’s development efforts and shape its role on the global stage.
The 2024 Longines Hong Kong International Races will see a record total prize money of HK$100 million, underlining the Club’s commitment to attract and reward the best horses. The prize money for the Group One races at 1600m and beyond will continue to carry a 10% premium over those contesting shorter distances, while all other Group and handicap races will be increased by up to 8% next season.
A group of US lawmakers has nominated Hong Kong’s pro-democracy activists for the Nobel Peace Prize, saying they “stand as a global inspiration” in their struggle against Beijing’s crackdown on democracy. The letter, signed by nine senators and representatives, comes in the wake of the mass pro-democracy protests that took place across the city in June.
For the first time, the HKSAR Government will host an innovation and entrepreneurship competition to help nurture more local entrepreneurs and support their development. The HK Global Development Prize, organised by Generocity, is open to all Hong Kong residents and provides an excellent opportunity for the public to showcase their ideas on how to enhance the city’s role as a global development hub.
To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Mark Six lottery, Hong Kong Jockey Club will offer an additional HK$705,770 for each winning ticket in the upcoming draw on Sunday. Proceeds from the lottery will benefit a wide range of charities and causes, including the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region’s Health Promotion Fund and Home Affairs Department’s Make It Better programme for disadvantaged children.
This year’s Hari Art Prize Hong Kong shortlist includes five artists who use their art to question the status quo. The award, now in its seventh year, is open to self-taught artists and those who have been working as professional artists for less than ten years. The shortlist will be selected by an elite panel of judges, including the winner from last year, Chinese-Australian artist Xu Bing.
The HKSAR Government will provide the first-ever HK$5 million prize for the winning submission from the public on how to establish an Official Development Assistance (ODA) scheme in Hong Kong, and will work with the winner to develop the idea into a viable proposal for further consideration. Submissions are now open.
To ensure the fairness of the draw, a series of strict measures are in place. All materials, from boxing to the balls used for the draw, are strictly tested and inspected on a regular basis by employees from HKJC’s security and customer service departments. Moreover, the draw machine is locked up after each drawing. Further, the same set of balls is not used for two consecutive draws. All these measures are to ensure that each winning ticket can be traced back to the original purchase.