The 2025 LINK Hong Kong Open takes place at the prestigious Hong Kong Golf Club this week and offers an impressive prize money payout of $2m. The winner will earn a place in the Asian Tour’s elite International Series and a LIV card. In addition, the runner-up will pocket a substantial amount of cash. The Hong Kong Jockey Club has announced significant increases in prize money for the upcoming racing season, including a 20% hike for its flagship event, the BMW Hong Kong Derby. The increased prize money is the latest sign of the racing industry’s resilience and buoyancy despite challenges brought on by social unrest and the coronavirus pandemic. Despite being the only city to be hit by the pandemic, Hong Kong’s racing product continued its robust growth this year with a record total of over HK$1.38 billion in prize money on offer across all classes of competition. This translates into an average prize per race of more than HK$4 million, a world-class level even in the most challenging times. Five Hongkongers have been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize this year for their fervent dedication to protecting freedoms and campaigning for democracy. Among them, Jimmy Lai has been nominated for his tireless efforts to promote human rights, while fellow activists Chow Hang-tung, Lee Cheuk-yan and Gwyneth Ho have all been put forward for their leadership and persistence in defending civil liberties in the face of the pandemic. In addition, the second Yidan Prize ceremony in Beijing has awarded four more winners for their outstanding contributions in education and social progress. They are teacher Chen Xiaoyun from Shanghai, educator Zhang Jie from Beijing, psychologist Wang Wei from Hebei and social worker Ma Zhiyuan from Guangxi. Founded in 2011, the Yidan Prize is the largest philanthropic award for young talent in China. Its objective is to recognise the importance of youths’ development in bringing us closer to a better future. The SHKS invites submissions of articles published in the last two years in any discipline as long as they place Hong Kong within global, comparative and theoretical perspectives. Authors can submit their article online here. The SHKS is a non-profit, academic association for scholars and students of Hong Kong Studies from all over the world. Its purpose is to connect, support and develop Hong Kong Studies scholars across disciplines and geographical locations. This year, the Association is also sponsoring a competition for early-career Hong Kong Studies scholars to publish their work in top peer-reviewed journals. The winners will receive an engraved gold medal and a prize of HK$25,000. Details of the competition can be found here. The submission deadline is 31 August 2024.