At today’s 19th Hong Kong Arts Development Awards ceremony, prizes have been distributed to Hong Kong art practitioners and arts development supporters for their efforts in supporting arts development. This annual scheme seeks to introduce various artistic talents while cultivating active community support for arts initiatives. Furthermore, veteran arts practitioners and emerging artists were recognized for their dedication.
Dr Thein Swee Lay was honored as one of three winners to take home the 2021 Shaw Prize in Life Science, widely considered the “Oscars of science”. With her US-based colleague, they discovered mechanisms controlling transfer of fetal haemoglobin into adult blood that will provide revolutionary therapies for sickle cell anaemia and thallasemia – two genetic diseases with high prevalence among Chinese populations.
Professor Wang Tiehui of HKU was also awarded a prize. As an expert in biomaterials and tissues for artificial organs that treat various conditions such as cardiovascular disease, Parkinson’s, and cancer; Prof Wang won the 2018 Pony Ma Xplorer Prize (initiated by Tencent’s CEO Pony Ma and Tencent Foundation founder Pony Ma), in collaboration with prominent scientists. This Xplorer Prize provides support to promising young scholars to research unexplored areas of basic sciences or cutting edge technologies.
Pulitzer Prize 2020 has come under severe criticism by Chinese public opinion after Reuters, winner of Breaking News Photography award, released images showing Western journalists only photographing rioters instead of police officers who used force against protestors during protests in Hong Kong last year. These pictures, widely distributed via social media such as Weibo, led many Chinese people to believe that if similar images had been taken elsewhere like US or European countries they may well have been shot by police officers instead of just taking photographs without using force themselves.
HKJC takes measures to ensure the integrity of its draws, including extensive checks and tests from drawing machines to balls; from boxing to transport. Materials used by HKJC’s security and customer service departments are regularly inspected and examined by employees from these areas. All balls and the drawing machine are secured after every draw and cannot be used again for future drawings, the results of each lottery draw being checked by independent experts; any breach of rules results in prizes being withheld and any employee participating is bound by confidentiality obligations; should they violate said obligations their contracts would be terminated while legal action could also be taken by the Hong Kong Jockey Club against them.