Yip Ho Ying was named as the winner of the Judges Prize at the Sovereign Art Foundation’s 2026 Hong Kong Students Prize at the Awards Ceremony held at Art Central in the city’s iconic Central Harbourfront on 28 March, with Lam Man Hei of receiving the Public Vote Prize.
Now in its 14th year, this annual award is designed to celebrate the importance of art in the education system and showcase young artistic talent to a wider audience. It also enables the Sovereign Art Foundation (SAF) to engage with local organisations that share its aim of promoting arts in the community and encouraging cultural development.
Teachers in secondary schools across Hong Kong were invited to nominate their best art students to submit artworks to the competition. 20 were then shortlisted for the Finalists’ Exhibition that ran at Art Central during Hong Kong Art Week from 25 to 29 March.
The depth and creativity of the artworks on display in SAF’s booth captivated visitors; with each piece interwoven with personal narratives, social critique and reflections on identity. Together, the works offered a glimpse into the experiences shaping Hong Kong’s youth. Click here to view the shortlist!
Ho Ying’s acrylic painting titled Shelter? was awarded the Judges Prize. The work reflects how a sanctuary within the home becomes unsettling when stress strips this final place of refuge of its former sense of tranquillity. She received HKD8,000, with a further HKD20,000 being donated to Pooi To Middle School as a grant for the wider benefit of all students and their creative pursuits.
Man Hei’s Modern Instructions of Women, which employs acrylic on canvas and polymer clay, attracted the most public votes, either in person at the exhibition or online. The work appropriates the format of a Chinese calendar to reinterpret traditional women’s roles. She received HKD4,000, with Po Leung Kuk Tang Yuk Tien College receiving a grant of HKD10,000.
Both winners will now go through to the Global Students Prize, which brings together the winning artworks of all SAF’s Students Prize competitions around the world to select a Global Judges Prize winner and Global Public Vote Prize winner.
Selected artworks were available for bidding through a charity auction, which raised over HKD40,000 for the students and SAF’s Make It Better programme in Hong Kong.
Congratulations to the winners and all the finalists. We were delighted to have the opportunity to celebrate at Art Central, our Venue Partner. And thank you again for our judging panel of Janet Fong, curator and Assistant Professor at the Academy of Visual Arts at Hong Kong Baptist University, Sharon Cheung, journalist, curator and Director of SC Gallery, Ngai Wing-Lam, a Hong Kong-based artist, and SAF Founder and Chairman Howard Bilton.
Through its global network of student awards, SAF continues its mission to celebrate the importance of art in the education system. With prizes now established in 13 countries, its exhibitions not only showcase the creative energy of each region but also reaffirm SAF’s longstanding commitment to nurturing young voices.
Stay tuned for the announcement of the 2026 Sovereign Asian Art Prize finalists! Follow us on Instagram so you don’t miss it.
