Theme 2026: New Tales of China’s Silk Road
All entries should be based on the theme for 2026, New Tales of China’s Silk Road. One winner will be chosen in each of the groups, and one lucky student will be named The Hong Kong Young Writer of 2026.
New Tales of China’s Silk Road
Twenty-two centuries ago, some intrepid Chinese people spent months trekking westwards to see if they could sell silk to new customers.
The trip was a big success—and soon grew into a two-way trade route, joining Europe to China’s Chang’an, which became the biggest city in the world.
The Silk Road became one of the most important journeys in history, with east and west exchanging wonderful foods, remarkable inventions, stunning art, and creative ideas.
It remained popular for more than one and a half thousand years, finally disappearing in the mid-1400s.
But it was revived in 2013 and quickly become the biggest international trade project in world history, with 150 countries becoming involved.
You could write about the first people to do the journey. Or the last!
Or about people from different countries learning about each other.
Or you could write about what the new Silk Road could achieve, as the world changes.
Use your imagination!
Please note that we do not accept submissions directly from students. Students must first submit to their schools, which will then have to choose ten entries to forward to the next round of the contest. Contact the teacher who is in charge of the competition at your school.
Competition Rules
Competition Rules
- Only enrolled students within the registered school are allowed to participate in the Hong Kong Young Writers Awards. No individual entries are allowed.
- Where appropriate, schools should register their primary and secondary sections separately. Schools may also have multiple registrations completed by individual teachers. Each school must register themselves via email before the registration deadline. Upon registration completion, your school will receive a confirmation email with instructions on the submission process. For further details please go to: https://www.hkywa.com/for_teachers/registration/
- For literary categories, each registered teacher can submit a total of 10 entries across the 3 categories in English and 10 entries each in Chinese Poetry. In the Literary Categories works must be submitted with 1” margins all around, single line and word spacing, and typed in 10 point Times New Roman font. The literary works must only feature the title and written text of the students work. There is no need to include headers, footers or page numbers in the original documents.Each student can only submit one literary submission. Co-authored submissions will not be accepted.For students with different learning abilities, each registered teacher can submit 10 entries in each of the 6 individual categories for literary work in English and the same in Chinese.
- We require all literary submissions to be attached to an email and sent to our email address with a completed submission form attached. Emailed submissions are due by the submission deadline Anything received after this date will not be considered. Every piece of literary work must carry the School Name, Student’s Name, Category and Group in the file name, but the file name WILL be edited to facilitate fair judging. For further details please go to: https://www.hkywa.com/for_teachers/all-submission-instructions.
- Word limits must be within the specified number of words. Otherwise, entries will be disqualified and P3 will not be responsible for notifying the school if this happens. For further details please go to: https://www.hkywa.com/about-the-competition/word-limits/
- There is a separate category for Cover Art. Only Primary schools and Different Learning Abilities, can also submit 10 entries in each of the 2 cover art groups. Each student can only submit either literary or cover art entries.
- A new category for Chinese Calligraphy was introduced in HKYWA 2025, each registered teacher can submit 10 entries in this category.
- 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 exclusively that of the individual it has been attributed to. No parental involvement is allowed. In the case of the Cover Art work, you are confirming that the work is that of the named individuals. Plagiarism – use of third party works – without written permission from the author will result in disqualification of the entrant and possibly the school.
- Entries submitted will not be returned to the author unless requested by the school to P3 in writing to the competition email, cover art submissions need to be collected from the P3 office.
- The competition will be judged by a panel of judges. Their decision will be final.
- Entries included in the anthology may be lightly edited by the publishers.
If you have an questions or queries, please contact us by using the contact form provided on the website https://www.hkywa.com/contact-us/
FAQs
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/ .
Terms and Conditions
Terms and Conditions
1. Hong Kong Young Writers Awards is organised by Playtimes: Unit 1005-1006, 10th Floor, Hua Qin International Building, No. 340 Queen’s Road Central, Hong Kong. Playtimes has the right to alter the Competition and Competition Rules or make exceptions without any prior notice.
2. No entry fee is required.
3. Playtimes reserves the right to disqualify any entry for any reason, but in particular if any of the Competition Rules have been broken or if the material supplied is offensive, with violent content or illegal.
4. Playtimes will not be responsible for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, loss, defect, delay, theft, alteration, or any other problem arising in the submission of entries.
5. By entering the Hong Kong Young Writer Awards, you give Playtimes permission to contact you with regard to the competition and to reprint your submissions in any publication relating to the competition and in any material published by Playtimes.
6.Playtimes retains the rights to any publicity or marketing activity, which they deem necessary to promote either the Competition or its Entrants, their Entries, the Competition Sponsors and Playtimes themselves. Entrants agree to participate in any reasonable request by Playtimes to fulfil marketing obligations relating to the Competition and their own Entry.
7. Playtimes will not distribute any material relating to the Entries or the Entrants themselves other than to Playtimes’s judging panels and readers, their own staff and to the Media set out in clause 6.
8. No personal data relating to the Entrants will be disclosed to any third party without the express permission of the Entrants.
9. The competition will be judged by a panel of judges. The judges may withhold some or all of the awards when the submissions are not of notable quality. In the event of a tie, the award will be shared. The judge’s decisions will be final.
10. Playtimes reserves the right to lightly edit the entries included in the anthology.
If you have any questions or queries, please contact us using the contact form https://www.hkywa.com/contact-us/
HKYWA Groups and School Year Equivalents
HKYWA Groups and School Year Equivalents
The HKYWA groups and school equivalents are listed below:
|
Division |
School Year Equivalents | HKYWA Groups | |
| Primary | Year 1-3 | Primary 1-3 |
Group 1 |
|
Year 4-6 |
Primary 4-6 | Group 2 | |
|
Secondary |
Year 7-9 |
Form 1-3 |
Group 3 |
|
Year 10-11 |
Form 4-5 |
Group 4 |
|
| Year 12-13 | Form 6 |
Group 5 |
|
|
Schools |
Age Group |
HKYWA Group |
|
Different Learning Abilities |
Age 13 and under |
Group 6 |
|
Different Learning Abilities |
Age 14-18 |
Group 7 |
For literary categories, each registered teacher can submit a total of 10 entries across the 3 categories.
For students with different learning abilities, each registered teacher can submit 10 entries in each of the 6 individual categories for literary and 2 categories of cover art.
There is a separate category for cover art. Only Primary schools and Different Learning Abilities schools, can also submit 10 entries in each of the 2 cover art groups. Each student can only submit either literary or cover art entries.
Registered Schools HKYWA 2026
| School Name | Primary/ Secondary | Teacher Full Name |
| Alliance Primary School Kowloon Tong | Primary | Ms. Mei Yiu Charlotte Lo |
| Alliance Primary School Kowloon Tong | Primary | Ms. Chung Yan Leung |
| Alliance Primary School Kowloon Tong | Primary | Ms. Tsz Ying Yuet |
| Canadian International School of Hong Kong | Secondary | Ms. Natalie Bahen |
| Carmel School Association | Primary | Ms. Huiwen Cheung |
| Carmel School Association | Primary | Ms. Andrea Edwards |
| Carmel School Association | Primary | Ms. Emily Pu |
| Chinese International School | Secondary | Mr. Greg Zimmermann |
| Chinese International School | Primary | Ms. Jen Hsieh |
| Chinese YMCA Secondary School | Secondary | Ms. Hafza Siddique |
| Creative Primary School | Primary | Ms. Sarah TM Chan |
| Creative Primary School | Primary | Ms. Rebecca Austin |
| Creative Secondary School | Secondary | Contact Person Ms. Rona Shum |
| Creative Secondary School | Secondary | Ms. Amanda Hsu |
| Creative Secondary School | Secondary | Ms. Claudia Chan |
| Creative Secondary School | Secondary | Ms. Fiona Pang |
| Creative Secondary School | Secondary | Ms. Ginger Kwok |
| Creative Secondary School | Secondary | Ms. Grace Kang |
| Creative Secondary School | Secondary | Ms. Gurwinder Kaur |
| Creative Secondary School | Secondary | Mr. Jon Barnes |
| Creative Secondary School | Secondary | Mr. Josh Lee |
| Creative Secondary School | Secondary | Ms. Pate Clark |
| Creative Secondary School | Secondary | Ms. Priscilla Koo |
| Creative Secondary School | Secondary | Ms. Rebecca Ewal |
| Creative Secondary School | Secondary | Mr. Sam Ho |
| Creative Secondary School | Secondary | Ms. Sehrish Munir |
| Creative Secondary School | Secondary | Mrs Whitney McVeigh |
| Creative Secondary School | Secondary | Mr. Will McVeigh |
| Creative Secondary School | Secondary | Mr. Will Sanders |
| Diocesan Boys’ School | Secondary | Mr. Jonathan Cheung |
| Diocesan Girls’ School | Secondary | Mr. Richard Taylor |
| Diocesan Girls’ School | Secondary | Ms. Grace Yau |
| Discovery Mind Primary School | Primary | Mr. Chris Jackson |
| Discovery Mind Primary School | Primary | Mrs Smita Chettri |
| Dulwich College Beijing | Secondary | Ms. Ellissa Meacham |
| Dulwich College Beijing | Primary | Mrs. Laura Evans |
| ESF Beacon Hill School | Primary | Mr. Andy Thompson |
| ESF Island School | Secondary | Ms. Amy Lee |
| ESF Island School | Secondary | Ms. Beth Hall |
| ESF Island School | Secondary | Ms. Clara Tang |
| ESF Island School | Secondary | Mr. Clayton Heggie |
| ESF Island School | Secondary | Mr. Gary Corlett |
| ESF Island School | Secondary | Ms. Gillian Coull |
| ESF Island School | Secondary | Ms. Jenni Fraser |
| ESF Island School | Secondary | Ms. Maria Callow |
| ESF Island School | Secondary | Ms. Natasha Plosaj |
| ESF Island School | Secondary | Mr. Paul Atkinson |
| ESF Island School | Secondary | Ms. Anne Henderson |
| ESF Island School | Secondary | Mr. Dominic Shen |
| ESF Island School | Secondary | Ms. Theodora Ng |
| ESF Island School | Secondary | Ms. Vivien Wong |
| ESF Island School | Secondary | Ms. Mary Lacey-Vittachi |
| ESF King George V School | Secondary | Ms. Mei-li Bacani |
| ESF Renaissance College Hong Kong | Secondary | Mr. Ben Walker |
| ESF Renaissance College Hong Kong | Secondary | Ms. Sarah Lewis |
| ESF Renaissance College Hong Kong | Secondary | Ms. Heide Turner |
| ESF Renaissance College Hong Kong | Secondary | Ms. Emily Norton |
| ESF Renaissance College Hong Kong | Secondary | Mr. Dane King |
| ESF Renaissance College Hong Kong | Secondary | Mr. Ian Boyce |
| ESF Renaissance College Hong Kong | Secondary | Mr. Gareth Jones |
| ESF Renaissance College Hong Kong | Secondary | Ms. Kerensa Heywood |
| ESF Renaissance College Hong Kong | Secondary | Ms. Julia Daw |
| ESF Renaissance College Hong Kong | Secondary | Ms. Birdie Lodders |
| ESF Renaissance College Hong Kong | Secondary | Ms. Kim Wells |
| ESF Renaissance College Hong Kong | Secondary | Ms. Aletha Rossiter |
| ESF Renaissance College Hong Kong | Primary | Ms. Alison Crosbie |
| ESF Renaissance College Hong Kong | Primary | Ms. Lucy Jack |
| ESF Renaissance College Hong Kong | Primary | Mr. Jeff Reynolds |
| ESF Renaissance College Hong Kong | Primary | Ms. Katie Stears |
| ESF Renaissance College Hong Kong | Primary | Dr. Tracey Fleming |
| ESF Renaissance College Hong Kong | Primary | Mr. Luke Jones |
| ESF Renaissance College Hong Kong | Primary | Mr. Jamie Lamarche |
| ESF Sha Tin College | Secondary | Ms. Lindsay Tandy |
| ESF Sha Tin College | Secondary | Ms. Alex Daw |
| ESF Sha Tin College | Secondary | Mr. Joseph Koszary |
| ESF Sha Tin College | Secondary | Ms. Danielle Yang |
| ESF Sha Tin Junior School | Primary | Mr. Jonny McLarnon |
| ESF Sha Tin Junior School | Primary | Mrs. Jo Le Rous |
| ESF South Island School | Seconday | Ms. Felicity Percival |
| ESF South Island School | Seconday | Ms. Sonia Clark |
| ESF South Island School | Seconday | Ms. Lindsay Sladen |
| ESF South Island School | Seconday | Ms. Anna Foster |
| ESF South Island School | Seconday | Mr. Alain Sama |
| ESF South Island School | Seconday | Mr. Alex Stirling-Reed |
| ESF South Island School | Seconday | Ms. Simone Redman |
| ESF South Island School | Seconday | Ms. Ophelia Bou |
| ESF South Island School | Seconday | Ms. Alison Taylor |
| ESF South Island School | Seconday | Mr. Roshan Hingorani |
| ESF South Island School | Seconday | Ms. Chris Watton |
| Farm Road Government Primary School | Primary | Mr. Donald Nugent |
| French Internatoinal School Hong Kong | Secondary | Mrs Carolyn Day |
| German Swiss International School | Primary | Ms. Trish Oliver |
| German Swiss International School | Primary | Ms. Anushka Abraham |
| Harrow International School Beijing | Secondary | Ms. Jennifer Cairney |
| Heep Yunn Primary School | Primary | Ms. Lily Ho |
| Heep Yunn School | Secondary | Ms. Francesca Chu |
| Henrietta Secondary School | Secondary | Ms. Li Ka Maan |
| Hong Kong Red Cross Princess Alexandra Scool | Secondary | Mr. Gabriel Mak |
| Hong Kong Red Cross Princess Alexandra Scool | Primary | Mr. Craig Robertson |
| Immaculate Heart of Mary College | Secondary | Sister M Francis Lee |
| International Christian School | Secondary | Mrs. Ezeamuzie Mercy |
| International Christian School | Secondary | Mrs. Franky Chan |
| International College Hong Kong | Secondary | Ms. Emma White |
| International College Hong Kong | Primary | Mrs. Susanna Lynam |
| Maryknoll Convent School (Secondary Section) | Secondary | Ms. Bonnie Ng |
| Marymount Primary School | Primary | Ms. Anna Lam |
| Marymount Primary School | Primary | Ms. Vanessa Wong |
| Marymount Primary School | Primary | Ms. Charlotte Lau |
| Marymount Primary School | Primary | Ms. Joyce Chow |
| Marymount Primary School | Primary | Ms. Kit Lee |
| Marymount Primary School | Primary | Mr. Colin Mak |
| Marymount Primary School | Primary | Mr. Daniel Levia |
| Ning Po No.2 College | Secondary | Ms. Silvia Ramos Gonzalez |
| Po Leung Kuk Choi Kai Yau School | Primary | Mr. Baha Elkawen Ghomrassi |
| Po Leung Kuk Choi Kai Yau School | Secondary | Mr. Baha Elkawen Ghomrassi |
| Po Leung Kuk No.1 W.H. Cheung College | Secondary | Ms. LC Leung |
| Po On Commercial Association Wan Ho Kan Primary School | Primary | Miss Sabina Nazar |
| Pui Ching Primary School | Primary | Mr. Steven Chi Kiu Ng |
| Pui Ching Primary School | Primary | Mr. Carlos Carrascal |
| Pui Kiu College | Secondary | Ms. Julie Yuen |
| Shanghai Community International School – HongQiao | Secondary | Ms. Ashley Simmons |
| Singapore International School (Hong Kong) | Primary | Mr. Patrick Brousseau |
| Singapore International School Hong Kong | Primary | Mr. Shawn Vessey |
| SKH Kei Yan Primary | Primary | Mr. Ian Lawrence |
| SKH Lam Woo Memorial Secondary School | Secondary | Ms. Huang Zifei Jocelyn |
| SKH Tang Shiu Kin Secondary School | Secondary | Ms. Elaine So |
| St. Joseph’s Anglo-Chinese Primary School | Primary | Mr. Joseph Belk |
| St. Joseph’s College | Secondary | Mr. Terence Wong |
| St. Joseph’s College | Secondary | Mr. Heskey Tsang |
| St. Joseph’s College | Secondary | Mr. Terence Wong |
| St. Margaret’s Co-educational English Secondary and Primary School | Primary | Mr. John Martin |
| St. Margaret’s Co-educational English Secondary and Primary School | Primary | Ms. Christelle Clarke |
| St. Margaret’s Co-educational English Secondary and Primary School | Primary | Mr. Alfred Lau |
| St. Margaret’s Co-Educational English Seconday and Primary School | Primary | Ms. Zoe Skilton |
| St. Mary’s Canossian College | Secondary | Ms. Bridget Ho |
| St. Mary’s Canossian School | Primary | Ms. Rebecca Wong |
| St. Mary’s Canossian School | Primary | Ms. Estie Ip |
| St. Mary’s Canossian School | Primary | Ms. Tracy Tang |
| St. Paul’s College | Secondary | Mr. Tang Ho Man |
| St. Paul’s College | Secondary | Mr. Wu Chun Fai |
| St. Paul’s Secondary School | Secondary | Miss Chloe Chan |
| Taikoo Primary School | Primary | Mr. Adam Clark |
| Taikoo Primary School | Primary | Mr. Juan da Silva |
| Taikoo Primary School | Primary | Ms. Sidra Shah |
| The British International School of Shanghai | Primary | Mr. Peter Anderton |
| The British International School, Shanghai Puxi | Primary | Miss Amy Barr |
| The French International School of Hong Kong – Jardine’s Lookout Campus |
Primary | Ms. Natalie Belbin |
| The French International School of Hong Kong – Jardine’s Lookout Campus |
Primary | Ms. Natalie Belbin |
| The French International School, TKO | Primary | Ms. Claire Sinnott |
| The French International School, TKO | Primary | Ms. Laryssa Katolyk |
| The French International School, TKO | Primary | Ms. Tina Wray |
| The French International School, TKO | Primary | Ms. Amandish Sandhu |
| The French International School, TKO | Primary | Ms. Nia O’Kell |
| The French International School, TKO | Primary | Mr. Georgie Barrow |
| The French International School, TKO | Primary | Mr. Mark O’Donoghue |
| The French International School, TKO | Primary | Ms. Amanda Schoefer |
| The French International School, TKO | Primary | Mr. Adam Jones |
| The French International School, TKO | Primary | Mr. Ricky Brocco |
| The French International School, TKO | Primary | Mr. Casey Wheeler |
| The French International School, TKO | Primary | Ms. Jess Haughton |
| The HKCCCU Logos Academy | Secondary | Mr. Daniel Ng |
| The Independent Schools Foundation Academy | Primary | Ms. Stephanie Lai |
| The Independent Schools Foundation Academy | Primary | Ms. Emma Gould |
| The Independent Schools Foundation Academy | Secondary | Mr. Edmund Morley |
| Victoria Shanghai Academy | Secondary | Mr. Tarn McDonald |
| Victoria Shanghai Academy | Secondary | Mr. Jaime Walls |
| Victoria Shanghai Academy | Secondary | Ms. Becky Carswell |
| Victoria Shanghai Academy | Secondary | Ms. Anna Chung |
| Victoria Shanghai Academy | Primary | Dr. Brett Healey |
| Victoria Shanghai Academy | Primary | Mrs. Kerys Powell |
| Victoria Shanghai Academy | Primary | Mr. Ian Hall |
| Victoria Shanghai Academy | Primary | Ms. Andrea Kavanagh |
| Victoria Shanghai Academy | Primary | Ms. Jepilyn Matthis |
| Victoria Shanghai Academy | Primary | Ms. Sunnie Chong |
| Victoria Shanghai Academy | Primary | Ms. Naomi Lyden |
| Victoria Shanghai Academy | Primary | Mr. Kelvin Chan |
| Wellington College International Shanhgai | Secondary | Mr. John Joyce |
| Wycombe Abbey School | Primary | Ms. Kate Mather |
| Wycombe Abbey School | Secondary | Ms. Kate Mather |
| Wycombe Abbey School HK | Secondary | Mr. Gary Lent |
| Ying Wa Girls’ School | Secondary | Mr. Arif Wong |
| Ying Wa Primary School | Primary | Dr Peter Lee |
| YMCA of Hong Kong Christian College | Secondary | Mr. Mark Clemenson |
Judging Criteria
A panel of judges drawn from educational institutions, published authors and Hong Kong independent publishing houses will select the winning entries.
School and student names will be removed from all the entries submitted to the judges so that the judging process is fair.
All entries will be judged against the following criteria for each category detailed below:
__________________________________________________________________________
Different Learning Abilities:
Fiction and Poetry Judging Criteria
We look for imagination:
Has the writer created living, breathing characters in a compelling story line? 50 per cent.
We look for originality:
While we allow children to use popular children’s literature scenarios, such as school stories, pony stories, fairy stories, and so on, we still ask: does the story feel new, fresh and unexpected? 50 per cent.
Non-Fiction Judging Criteria
We look for factual accuracy:
Does the literary piece demonstrate thorough and accurate research? Are all the facts representative of history and actual events? 80 per cent.
We look for originality:
Is the literary piece original and convey the author’s message? 20 per cent.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
All Other Groups:
Fiction Judging Criteria
We look for imagination:
Has the writer created living, breathing characters in a compelling storyline? Does the tale wrap up its plot threads in a satisfying way? 20 per cent.
We look for verbal skills:
Is the text interesting, thoughtful, and appropriate, showing good judgment in the choice of words and development of the plot? 20 per cent.
We look for originality:
While we allow children to use popular children’s literature scenarios, such as school stories, pony stories, fairy stories, and so on, we still ask: does the story feel new, fresh and unexpected? 15 per cent.
We look for style:
Does the writer have a distinctive voice, a consistent tone, and palpable confidence in the way his or her material is delivered? 10 per cent.
We look for technical accuracy:
Has the writer shown that she / he has paid attention to spelling, punctuation, grammar and related items? Have the guidelines on word length and similar factors been followed? 15 per cent.
We look for intangible magic:
Since good short stories are always greater than the sum of their parts, we examine the overall reading experience: was it enjoyable, transformative, memorable? 20 per cent.
_________________________________________________________________________
Non-Fiction Judging Criteria
We look for the development of ideas:
Has the writer detailed a main and central idea that is fully articulated? Are the ideas developed thoroughly and presented meaningfully? 20 per cent.
We look for factual accuracy:
Does the literary piece demonstrate thorough and accurate research? Are all the facts representative of history and actual events? 20 per cent.
We look for verbal skills:
Does the writer use interesting, thoughtful and appropriate text? Is excellent word choice used which precisely conveys the author’s meaning? 20 per cent.
We look for organisation:
Has the writer shown a progression of thought in a clear and logical way? Does the organisation of the literary piece enhance the author’s message? 15 per cent.
We look for originality:
Is the literary piece original and convey the author’s message in a refreshing way? 15 per cent.
We look for technical accuracy:
Has the writer shown that she / he has paid attention to spelling, punctuation, grammar and related items? Have the guidelines on word length and similar factors been followed? 15 per cent.
__________________________________________________________________________
Poetry Judging Criteria
We look for originality:
Is the poem interesting? Has the poet taken mundane items and created something new from them? Does the poem have a distinct narrative, descriptive or thematic thrust? 15 per cent.
We look for language:
Has the writer used rich, vivid and evocative language? Are nouns and verbs used distinctively to create a poetic effect? 20 per cent.
We look for poetic techniques:
Has the writer used poetic techniques to effectively reinforce the theme? 20 per cent.
We look for style:
Does the writer have a distinctive voice, a consistent tone, and palpable confidence in the way his or her material is delivered? 10 per cent.
We look for technical accuracy:
Has the writer shown that she / he has paid attention to spelling, punctuation, grammar and related items? Have the guidelines on word length and similar factors been followed? 15 per cent.
We look for intangible magic:
Since good poems are always greater than the sum of their parts, we examine the overall reading experience: was it enjoyable, transformative, memorable? Does the reader feel compelled to share to poem with others? 20 per cent.
___________________________________________________________________________
Cover Art Criteria
We look for inspiration:
Is the art work influenced by an artist or particular style? Is the artwork original? 25 per cent.
We look for concept:
Does the art work adhere to the theme? How effectively does the piece represent this region? 25 per cent.
We look for technique:
Does the art work show a consistent approach and technique? How effectively does the artist make use of this style? 25 per cent.
We look for audience appeal:
How well does the work appeal to the target audience – children aged 6–16?
How does it compare alongside the other art submissions received?
25 per cent.
by Nury Vittachi, P3 Publishing and City University of Hong Kong, May 2016