(Back, from left) Cham Pang-wong, Kitty Tam Yik-ching, Elaine Wong, Nicole Liu Hui-kay, Chan Kwan-ming; (front left-right) Yip Chi-nga, Eunice Yiu, Wu Shi-kei, Rainbow Tse Lok-yauThese winners represent the best of Hong Kong’s schools, and each of them is a role model for the next generation of students. They’re not just very talented, they’re making the world a better place. Take a look at our cover story on this year's grand prize winner, Eunice Yiu.
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Yip Chi-nga, Buddhist Wong Wan Tin College
Originally from the mainland, Form Six student Chi-nga has overcome language and cultural barriers by helping others.
Inspired by a school social worker, Chi-nga did more than 1,000 hours of community service last academic year.
When he joined his school's social services team in Form Three, Chi-nga was motivated by a desire for recognition. But the social worker told him, "To earn people's recognition, you need to keep your feet on the ground."
Seeing that his actions actually make a difference motivates him.
Chi-nga wants to become a social worker one day, saying: "I enjoy the process, and seeing people being changed by what I do."
Sportsperson
Kitty Tam Yik-ching, Diocesan Girls' School
Kitty has competed in top international competitions against the world's best golfers in her age group - from the Asian Games in Incheon, Korea, to the Nanjing Youth Olympic Games, both of which were held last year.
She says: "I was confident during the interview. I liked how I performed in front of the judges."
"I'm happy to win such a well-recognised award that all secondary school students would fight for," says Kitty. She adds the ward is special for her as it is the first time she has competed against students in other sports.
The Form Six student is going to university in the US on a golf scholarship.
Visual Artist
Rainbow Tse Lok-yau, Renaissance College
It has been an eventful few months for Rainbow, who held a solo art exhibition, "Moment: Solo Watercolour Exhibition by Rainbow Tse", in November.
"Having your [solo] exhibition is like the first step to becoming an artist in the world," says the Grade 12 student. Rainbow hopes to continue pursuing her passion for art, adding "hopefully I'll be able to make my mark in the art world and be a known artist."
Rainbow said SOTY had given her the chance to make new friends who are as keen in art as she is, but she was also delighted to be able show her work again. "This is a really great opportunity and we've all learned a lot through this," she says.
Performing Artist
Chan Kwan-ming, Yuen Long Lutheran Secondary School
"I think it's the first time anyone has won this award with an a cappella performance," says Kwan-ming.
The Form Five student is the team leader, tenor, beat-boxer, sound man and arranger of his school's a cappella group, Infiniter. He used all these skills during his performance for the judging session, but was still a little surprised to win, saying, "after all, a cappella is not mainstream [in Hong Kong]."
He's not only a keen performer; he also has a passion for promoting the art form. After graduation, he wants to form a full-time male a cappella group, which is still rare in Hong Kong.
Check out the performance that put Kwan-ming over the top:
Scientist & Mathematician
Wu Shi-kei, St Paul's Convent School (Secondary Section)
Shi-kei was the first Hong Kong female to win the "Future Scientist" award in Beijing for her innovative research on detecting water pollution.
But she's far from the stereotypical nerd: not only does she have an outgoing personality, she also manages to balance doing science research and community service with her school work.
"I am a perfectionist," says Shi-kei. "Whatever I'm doing, I want to make sure there's no regret."
The highlight of SOTY for Shi-kei, who was also shortlisted for the SOTY grand prize, was meeting other talented students, and learning from them.
Linguist (English)
Nicole Liu Hui-kay, Diocesan Girls' School
Offering solid arguments during the final interview helped Nicole take the award. She spoke about the disproportionate representation of women in the media, which she feels very strongly about - and this fervour helped her to give a better speech.
Nicole was surprised by the win, saying, "on the day [of the interview], I wasn't as amazing as all the other people I saw.
"There're a lot of people who are shortlisted are really, really good at what they do, and I didn't anticipate this at all."
Nicole hopes to continue using her linguistic skills, and study law and become a lawyer one day.
Linguist (Cantonese)
Elaine Wong, Diocesan Girls' School
As team captain of her school's debating team, and an enthusiastic writer of stories and essays, Elaine is no stranger to expressing herself in Hong Kong's native language.
Nonetheless, she said she was extremely honoured to have won the SOTY award, as she sees the other two finalists, who are both in the year above and have won several debating competitions, as her idols.
"I'm inspired by the award to keep expressing myself and to push it to the next level," says the Form Five student.
Elaine hopes that she can use her words to inspire Hongkongers.
Linguist (Putonghua)
Chan Pang-wong, Cheung Sha Wan Catholic Secondary School
Pang-wong thinks that his sincerity, confidence and his big smile are what wooed the judges. Dedicated to promoting Putonghua in school, the Form Four student is a master of Hakka, Cantonese and Putonghua, and is interested in learning more languages in the future.
Pang-wong said that, for him, SOTY didn't feel like a competition; "it's more like sharing our experiences [with fellow participants]."
Speaking of the HK$10,000 scholarship he received for his win, Pang-wong says: "The first pot of gold definitely goes to my mum!"