Five gifted sixth-form secondary school students from the United Kingdom were given a formal send-off to study at Hong Kong university summer schools at the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, London (HKETO) on June 16 (London time), having won a competition organised by the HKETO.
 
     The five winners will be sponsored to experience a taste of the city's world-class university life, as well as Hong Kong's cosmopolitan lifestyle and unique culture.
 
     With the theme "Hong Kong: A dream vacation destination for youth travellers!", the competition invited students to create a 48-hour travel itinerary for young travellers visiting Hong Kong, and to demonstrate Hong Kong's attractiveness as a destination for young travellers. Entries received were in many different forms including essays, booklets, websites, Instagram pages, blogs and YouTube videos, and were judged based on content, creativity and presentation.
 
     At a prize presentation ceremony for the winning students on June 16, the Director-General of the HKETO, Ms Priscilla To, said she was impressed by the quality of all the entries in this year's competition, which demonstrated immense creativity. Ms To said, "Hong Kong is a vibrant, fast-paced and multicultural city packed with culture, heritage and attractions as well as wonderful scenery and sporting activities. From the frenetic centre of the city to the peaceful beaches and islands, Hong Kong has so much to offer to young travellers."
 
     Through the competition, UK students are encouraged to pursue their higher education studies or other exchange programmes in Hong Kong in the future. Hong Kong's tertiary institutions are recognised as leaders on various international league tables. Three universities in Hong Kong were ranked among the top 50 in the world by the QS World University Rankings 2016-2017.
 
     The competition, now in its sixth year, is organised by the HKETO. Cathay Pacific Airways is the sponsor, providing free return air tickets for the winning students. The event is also supported by the British Council, the Hong Kong Society and the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), as well as three universities in Hong Kong: the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
 
     The panel of judges comprised Ms To; the then General Manager Europe of Cathay Pacific (now Director Engineering, Cathay Pacific), Mr Neil Glenn; the Director, UK and Northern Europe of the HKTB, Ms Dawn Page; the Chairman of the Hong Kong Society, Mr Nigel Johnson-Hill; and the Assistant Schools Advisor of the British Council, Ms Emily Reynolds.
 
     The five winning entrants came from all around the UK. They are:
 
Carmen Truong
Royal Latin School, Buckingham
Carmen's entry is a booklet. Scanned images are available at www.hketolondon.gov.hk/news/docs/Carmen_Truong_Entry.pdf.
 
Fiona Lai
Backwell Secondary School, Backwell, Bristol
Fiona's entry is a set of leaflets and a poster. Scanned images are available at www.hketolondon.gov.hk/news/docs/Fiona_Lai_Entry.pdf.
 
Michael McGrade
St Ninian's High School, Glasgow
Michael's entry is a website: www.48hk.co.uk.
 
Paul McCormack
Shrewsbury Sixth Form College, Shrewsbury
Paul's entry is a website: jeuneeconomist.wordpress.com/2017/04/14/48-hours36-exposures-in-hong-kong-competition-entry-by-paul-mccormack
 
Wesley Tizzard
William Morris Sixth Form, Hammersmith
Wesley's entry is a video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnhpUpC-D5s&t=3s
 

Ends/Monday, June 19, 2017
Issued at HKT 21:34

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