Hong Kong’s young champion orators were crowned on Saturday with an appeal from the city’s education chief for them to sharpen their intercultural skills and bilingualism, and become ambassadors to tell the world the good stories of the nation and Hong Kong.

Christine Choi Yuk-lin, secretary for education of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, addressed the champions, as well as local and Chinese mainland officials and dignitaries, at the awards ceremony following the grand finale of the district contests in the 2026 “21st Century Cup” National English Speaking Competition (Hong Kong Region) at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center in Wan Chai.

Guests also spoke of the importance of the role of the competition – the SAR’s ninth edition -- in nurturing a new generation of confident young communicators as the Five-Year Plan (2026-30) places youth development at the heart of the country’s future.

About 400 guests from various sectors of the community, participating students and their families were on hand to witness the talent of Hong Kong’s new generation of young English-speaking orators in the grand final of the contest, co-organized by China Daily Hong Kong and its education arm, VDO English.

In her keynote speech, Choi stressed the competition’s role in fostering students’ abilities, highlighting the HKSAR government’s efforts in furthering education for residents and lifting the overall standard of education in the city.

READ MORE: Orators in the making

“I urge all our young talents here today to continue strengthening your language skills and equip yourselves with the intercultural communication skills, as you all will be the ambassadors to tell the world the good stories of our country and Hong Kong,” she said.

Choi said the SAR authorities attach great importance to value education so as to foster the development of positive values, attitudes and behaviors among students, noting that the government had announced the Values Education Curriculum Framework (2026) last month that sets the overarching direction of taking root in Chinese culture, connecting with the world, embracing the future by providing schools with a clearer and more forward-looking direction.

The education chief thanked China Daily for its efforts in organizing the competition to nurture students’  English-language speaking skills and deepen their connections with peers across the country.

Zhou Li, deputy editor-in-chief of China Daily Group, as well as publisher and editor-in-chief of China Daily Hong Kong, said China Daily is proud of contributing to the process of letting students from around the world to see the true value of Hong Kong education through the contests.

“We’re not only naming champions – we’re nurturing a generation of confident communicators from every corner of Hong Kong,” Zhou said, noting that this year’s district contests had attracted more than 1,300 students from all of the city’s 18 districts, “presenting clear proof of young people’s stronger desire to speak, think and to engage”.

He noted that the 15th Five-Year Plan has placed youth development at the heart of the nation’s future. Within this national framework, young people in the HKSAR -- rooted in Chinese culture and fluent in global languages -- are seen as vital drivers of innovation and integration. It echoes the core concept of this competition -- being biliterate and trilingual isn’t just a skill, but a responsibility, Zhou said.

READ MORE: Budding orators shine at 2026 '21st Century Cup' Hong Kong district contest

A musical show was performed by students from Hong Kong Baptist University Affiliated School Wong Kam Fai Secondary and Primary School at the opening ceremony.

This year’s Hong Kong regional final, held on Saturday morning, featured 72 contestants competing across six categories – at kindergarten, junior primary, senior primary, junior secondary, senior secondary and university level.

Yip Ying-yin from The Chinese University of Hong Kong emerged as champion in the university group, while Liu Ching-ho of SKH Tsang Shiu Tim Secondary School and St Stephen College’s Katie Leung Sen-fung grabbed top honors in the senior secondary and junior secondary categories, respectively. Contestants Baker Tyler Jordan, Nathaniel Eli Cheng and Ho Hoi-kit were the champions in the senior primary, junior primary and kindergarten groups, respectively.

Yip will represent the city in the competition’s National Grand Final to be held on the Chinese mainland in October. The winners of the other categories will have the chance to participate in various programs.

Initiated by the China Daily Group in 1996, the “21st Century Cup” National English Speaking Competition is equipped with a vision to cultivate young people’s English-speaking skills and innovative spirit, and to broaden their global perspective.

Over the years, the contest has expanded to more than 100 competition regions nationwide, attracting over one million participants annually.  The Hong Kong regional competition has drawn nearly 30,000 student participants from more than 600 local schools since its inauguration.

Among the guests in attendance at the ceremony were Sun Shangwu, deputy director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR; Alice Mak Mei-kuen, secretary for Home and Youth Affairs of the HKSAR; Wang Jian, director-general of the Department of International Organizations and Conferences of the Commissioner‘s Office of China’s Foreign Ministry in the HKSAR; and Wang Weiming, director-general of the Department of Educational, Scientific and Technological Affairs at the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR.

Contact the writer at atlasshao@chinadailyhk.com