Prof. Li Ping, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, officiates the ceremony and shares his vision of how the humanities can help shape ethical and innovative uses of AI.
Ms Jenny Yeung, Chief Curriculum Development Officer at the Education Bureau, presents certificates to the Gold awardees.
Prof. Eric Friginal, Head of ENGL, presents certificates to the Silver awardees.
Prof. Eric Friginal, Head of ENGL, presents certificates to the Bronze awardees.
More than 70 students, teachers, families, and distinguished guests attended the Award Presentation Ceremony.
On Friday, 19 September 2025, the Department of English and Communication (ENGL) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University welcomed over 70 students, teachers, families, and distinguished guests for the Award Presentation Ceremony of the Hong Kong Secondary School Short-Essay Competition 2025—a joyful celebration of student creativity, bold thinking, and writing in the age of AI.
This inaugural competition, organised by ENGL, received an overwhelming 1,100+ submissions from across Hong Kong. The Gold, Silver, and Bronze awardees were honoured in person, with the ceremony spotlighting their unique voices and reflections on the theme "AI and Me."
The ceremony began with opening remarks by Professor Eric Friginal, Head of Department, followed by an inspiring speech from Professor Li Ping, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, who officiated the ceremony and shared his vision of how the humanities can help shape ethical and innovative uses of AI.
Ms Jenny Yeung, Chief Curriculum Development Officer at the Education Bureau and a member of the judging panel, served as the Guest of Honour. She presented the prestigious School Award to Delia Memorial School (Broadway) for submitting the most student essays to the competition.
Audience members were treated to live readings by three selected Gold Award winners, whose essays ranged from imaginative sci-fi to moving reflections on AI's role in education, identity, and society. The event concluded with the presentation of individual certificates by Professor Friginal, followed by a group photo marking this proud moment.
The winning entries will be published in an upcoming anthology: Winning Essays from the Hong Kong Secondary School Short-Essay Competition 2025, to be published by the PolyU Press.
This competition is part of ENGL's broader mission to promote writing, critical thinking, and ethical engagement with AI among youth. With the enthusiastic support of schools, families, the EDB, and PolyU leadership, the Department plans to grow this into an annual flagship outreach event for secondary schools in Hong Kong.
Check the competition website for more details.
See also:
Professor Phoebe Lin’s feature on the competition in the South China Morning Post: "Youngsters are cracking the puzzle of writing in AI era"
