Is there a theme for the entries?
Can we submit entries in Chinese?
Can students submit more than one entry?
What if we have a Primary and Secondary school division? Do we need to register them separately?
What if we have not received a confirmation email?
Which group would a pupil with different learning abilities be in?
How do we know which group we should be registering in?
Are individual entries allowed?
When is the submission deadline?
When is the awards ceremony?
Where can we get a copy of the anthology?
Who are the judges?
What do we win?
What are the word limits for each category?
What if we miss the deadline due to unforeseen circumstances?
Can I submit writing that has been previously published?
How many entries are we entitled to?
Within the 10 submissions, does that include the cover art?
How should schools select the entries to be submitted to the competition?
What topics should the non-fiction submissions cover?
What criteria will submissions be judged against?
Is there a theme for the entries?
Yes. To find out more about the theme go to https://www.hkywa.com/about-the-competition/
Can we submit entries in Chinese?
No. All entries must be submitted in English with one category of Chinese Poetry introduced in HKYWA 2024.
Can students submit more than one entry?
No. There is a limit of one literary or cover art entry per student.
What if we have a Primary and Secondary school division? Do we need to register them separately?
Yes. You must register for each primary and secondary separately. If you have a primary and secondary sections in your school please register separately indicating on the form whether it is from the primary or secondary section. Within the primary and secondary schools more than one teacher can register and submit a separate registration form. Each registered teacher can submit a total of 10 entries for literary categories. If the entries exceed that we will take the top 10 entries on the entry form.
What if we have not received a confirmation email?
Please contact us directly at (852) 2201 9712 or email anise@ppp.com.hk if you have not heard from us a week after you have registered your school.
Which group would a pupil with different learning abilities be in?
There are two HKYWA groups within two age categories that a student with different learning abilities can enter in, please see the
HKYWA Groups and School Year Equivalents table.
How do we know which group we should be registering in?
Please refer to the table on the page (link below) to see which group the student belongs to.
HKYWA Groups and School Year Equivalents table.
Are individual entries allowed?
No. You are only allowed to enter through a registered school in Hong Kong, China and Macau. Your school must register by sending a completed registration form to our email address (provided in the registration instructions). https://www.hkywa.com/for_teachers/registration/
When is the submission deadline?
Please attach all submissions in word doc format along with a completed submission form to our email address by the submission deadline. For information about the email address and deadline go to https://www.hkywa.com/for_teachers/all-submission-instructions/
For Cover Art Submissions: Please send hard copies of the submissions with their cover sheets and cover art submission form, to: Hong Kong Young Writers Awards , PPP Company Limited, Unit 713, Level 7, Core E, Cyberport, Hong Kong. We will confirm receipt of all entries.
Art work will need to be of A3 size portrait and should be submitted in this format to the above address.
When is the awards ceremony?
All children whose entries have been short listed will be invited to attend together with members of their family and a teacher from their school. For more information go to https://www.hkywa.com/awards-ceremony/
Where can we get a copy of the anthology?
Anthologies will available from Amazon on Kindle and Print on Demand.
Who are the judges?
A panel of judges drawn from educational institutions, published authors, award sponsors and Hong Kong independent publishing houses will select the winning entries within each category. Our chairman of Judges Mr Nury Vittachi will select the shortlisted entries and the Hong Kong Young Writer of the Year.
What do we win?
Winners, one in each of the award categories, will be selected and will receive an award trophy, Bookazine goody bags in addition to having their work published in the anthology. Each shortlisted entrant will receive a certificate of commendation.
There will also be an overall winner given the title Hong Kong Young Writer of the Year.
What are the word limits for each category?
http://www.hkywa.com/about-the-competition/word-limits/
What if we miss the deadline due to unforeseen circumstances?
Unfortunately, to be fair in the judging process all entries must be received by the deadline. Entries submitted after the deadline will not be considered.
Can I submit writing that has been previously published?
No. Only original and non published work may be submitted and by entering the competition you are confirming that to the best of your knowledge, the work is that of the individual it has been attributed to. In the case of the cover art, you are confirming that the work is that of the named individuals.
How many entries are we entitled to?
Each registered teacher should enter 10 pieces of work across all the Literary Award categories. Please be reminded that the categories of Different Learning Abilities are:
for students aged 13 and under and aged 14-18.
Within the 10 submissions, does that include the Cover Art?
No. Schools may submit 20 Cover Art entries per group – Primary division and students with different learning abilities only.
How should schools select the entries to be submitted to the competition?
Schools are free to design their own process to select which entries to be submitted for the competition.
What topics should the non-fiction submissions cover?
All entries should be based on the current theme. For more information please go to https://www.hkywa.com/about-the-competition/.
What criteria will submissions be judged against?
A detailed set of judging criteria is available at http://www.hkywa.com/about-the-competition/judging-criteria/ .