Hong Kong Young Writers Awards
Hong Kong Young Writers Awards (HKYWA) is an annual competition for students aged 6 to 18 that encourages and recognizes outstanding performance in English writing and artistic works. Since its establishment in 2010, the competition has been a great success, receiving over 1,200 entries from approximately 200 participating schools from Hong Kong, Macau, and mainland China in 2023.
Interested in the competition?
Competition Overview
Students aged 6 to 18
Eligibility
Free
Entry fee
January 16, 2025
Submission Deadline
Competition Details
1. Eligibility
Students have to be in a registered school in Hong Kong, China, and Macau. No individual submissions.
2. Theme
New Tales of China’s Dinosaurs: China has become a leading hub for fossil discoveries, especially since the 1990s, when the first clearly feathered dinosaur, Sinosauropteryx, was found. With over 40 dinosaur species uncovered in Liaoning and a recent titanosaur discovery in Jiangxi, the country’s largely unexplored fossil sites continue to generate excitement and promise new insights into prehistoric life.
3. General Entry Rules
Language: All entries must be in English (except for one category in Chinese Poetry introduced in 2024).
Entry Limit: One literary OR cover art entry per student.
Originality: Submissions must be original and unpublished work by the student.
Judging Criteria: Entries will be judged on creativity, originality, structure, language, and relevance to the theme.
4. Word Limits (only applies to Fiction and Non-Fiction, Poetry doesn’t have a word limit)
Primary School:
- Year 1-3 in school (HKYWA Group 1): Up to 500 words
- Year 4-6 in school (HKYWA Group 2): Up to 1000 words
Secondary School:
- Year 7-9 in school (HKYWA Group 3): Up to 1000 words
- Year 10-11 in school (HKYWA Group 4): Up to 3000 words
- Year 12-13 in school (HKYWA Group 5): Up to 3000 words
Different Learning Abilities School (age 13-18): No limit
