In a year where many horse races have seen purse cuts, the Hong Kong Jockey Club has announced across-the-board increases in prize money. The increase includes a 20% bump in the domestic centrepiece, the BMW Hong Kong Derby. It will now be worth HK$2 million to the winner, with runner-up getting $260,000. This is a huge boost to the racing product, and shows the strength of the industry in Hong Kong.
A number of US lawmakers have nominated Hong Kong’s pro-democracy activists for a Nobel peace prize. The letter by nine lawmakers, from both parties, praised the activists as global inspirations, and called for an end to Beijing’s crackdown on Hong Kong democracy. The five nominations are Jimmy Lai, Chow Hang-tung, Lee Cheuk-yan, Gwyneth Ho and Joshua Wong.
China’s state-run Global Times newspaper has criticised the film Ten Years as “totally absurd” and a “virus of the mind”. The Hong Kong-made movie was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film at this year’s Oscars, but did not win the award. The nomination has raised hackles on the mainland, with major Chinese TV channels refusing to broadcast the ceremony. The director of the film, Ng Ka-leung, said he was not concerned about Beijing’s opinion of his work.
The Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Prize was established by the Hong Kong Alliance of Technology and Innovation to recognise outstanding scientists and research teams from Hong Kong, or those based in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, for their contributions to scientific innovation. Its board and review committee are independent, with no financial or political ties to any organisation or individual. Its Secretariat consists of professionals from law, finance, auditing and public affairs who have been appointed by the board to shoulder the responsibility for liaison and coordination between the Board, Review Committee and Compliance Oversight Team; carrying out evaluation activities; and holding interdisciplinary academic and science popularisation events.
Hong Kong’s M+ museum has shortlisted six artists for its biennial Sigg Prize, which awards the city’s top contemporary art talent. The candidates include Shanghai-based multimedia artist Bi Rongrong; Macau-born ceramicist Heidi Lau; Taiwanese composer and artist Hsu Chia-Wei; Berlin-based multidisciplinary artist Pan Daijing; and Hong Kong painter Wong Ping. Each shortlisted artist will receive a sum of HK$100,000 to support their future art projects. The prize will be awarded in 2022. For more information, visit the official website here.