| Hong Kong Outstanding Students Award | |
| Awarded For: | Recognizing outstanding academic, extra-curricular, and community service achievements, and morality among students in Hong Kong |
| Location: | Hong Kong |
| Established: | 1985 |
The Hong Kong Outstanding Students Award is a student contest in Hong Kong. The Award aims to encourage promising students with outstanding academic, extra-curricular and community service achievements, and morality.[1]
From 1985 to 2010, the Award was organised by the Lion & Globe Educational Trust and co-organised by the Outstanding Young Persons' Association.[2] Starting from 2011, the Award has been organised by the Youth Arch Foundation and co-organised by the Outstanding Young Persons' Association. Every year, about ten secondary school students from local and international schools in Hong Kong are selected to be the "Hong Kong Outstanding Students".
The Award began in 1985 as the "Hong Kong Outstanding Female Students Award", which only accepted applications from female students; it was opened to male students in 1987. Over the first 25 years, the Award had been organised by Doreen Leung, the first female recipient of the Outstanding Young Persons of the World.[3] Since Leung died in 2009,[4] a group of past winners and finalists of the Award founded the Youth Arch Foundation in 2010, succeeding to the role of Leung as the event organiser of the Awards.[5]
Before 2011, applicants first needed to sit for a written test that comprised questions from disciplines including languages, mathematics, logic, science, history, geography, and current issues. 40 finalists would be selected to participate in a group interview, after which 10 or 11 winners would be selected.
Since 2011, applicants, as the first step, are required to take a written test of similar format. Candidates are short-listed to participate in a two-day camp which aims to assess applicants’ inter-personal skills and leadership potential.[6] 20 students are then selected to enter the panel interview round. Finally, 10 winners are chosen based on their performance in all stages.[7]
Subsequently, the Youth Arch Foundation further revamped the selection process for the Award. In addition to the previous assessment processes, finalists will be invited to participate in the Enrichment Program during the summer break. This program will help them enhance themselves, broaden their horizons, and develop their strengths. Participants will have the chance to engage in in-depth discussions with renowned figures, community leaders, various organisations, as well as outstanding students from previous years and other schools. During the sharing session for finalists, they will have the opportunity to share their learning achievements and experiences from the summer break.
All awardees and finalists of the Award are invited to join a four-day summer leadership training camp. Starting from 2011, winners of the Award will be invited to partake in a study tour. In 2013 and 2014, awardees went on an experiential learning and cycling trip in Cambodia. In 2015, students participated in a service learning and environmental trip in Sumatra, where they were guided to produce environmental-themed videos.[7]
From 2016, awardees visited different places such as Guangxi, Sri Lanka, Chiang Mai, Hua Hin for the service learning trip. During these trips, they engaged in cultural exchanges with the locals and contributed to the community through activities such as teaching and repairing community facilities. They embodied the spirit of "Giving is Outstanding" through their dedicated service.
In 2009, Doreen Leung, died. In memory of her, Youth Arch Foundation set up the Doreen Leung Memorial Service Award in 2010 to uphold her selfless spirit of serving the community.
The awardee is selected according to their community service records, as well as voting result among the nominees. Chung To, a social leader and Chi Heng Foundation Founder and chairperson, will be the mentor of the awardee for a year.[8]
The winners and finalists of the Award founded the Hong Kong Outstanding Students' Association (HKOSA)[9] in 1987, a student-run organization. All winners and finalists of the Award are automatically enrolled to HKOSA once they are shortlisted to enter the final interview round.[10]
The organization has initiated a number of creative and innovative projects that aim to inspire other secondary school students in different ways. Some of the regular activities organized include the annual Leadership Interflow Camp since 1991, the Volunteer Training Scheme since 1998, the Hong Kong Youth Summit, a forum for students to discuss current issues,[11] since 2003, and the International Convergence, which is a multi-cultural experience scheme,[12] since 2005. These activities typically attract participation of over 100 students from different secondary schools.
HKOSA is supported by a group of honorary advisors, which include consuls general, university presidents and government officials. The advisor list in 2022–23 includes:[13]
Many winners and finalists of the Award achieved excellent results in the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination, with a number of them obtaining 10As and 9As.[15] Many were admitted to universities such as Ivy League institutions and Oxbridge.[16] Up to 2016, the alumni base of the Award (commonly known as “OSArs”) has reached over 1100 people.[17] Many of them now work in fields including government, business, law, medicine, entertainment, education, architecture, journalism, and engineering.
Some of the notable winners and finalists are:
