To celebrate HKUST 35th anniversary, the Center for Technology and Business Ecosystem (CTBE), HKUST Shanghai Alumni Chapter, and Tencent Research Institute are co-organizing this NOVA: National AI Creativity Competition. The competition aims to promote innovation exchange in artificial intelligence among teenagers and youths in Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland. By bringing together resources from the education, academic, and industry sectors, we hope to identify outstanding young talents from different regions who can solve real-world problems and demonstrate strong commercial potential.

Eligibility

• University Category: Full-time undergraduate, master’s, and PhD students enrolled in universities in Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland.
• High School Category: Full-time senior high school students (Form 4-6 in Hong Kong; Grade 10-12 in the Chinese mainland).
• Each team must consist of 2–5 students of the same age group. Cross-institution teams are allowed, but cross-city teams are not allowed.
• There are no restrictions on university majors or high-school subject selections.

Tracks

(1) Social Impact: Tech for good—address real societal pain points.

This track encourages participants to apply AI technologies to today’s societal challenges, such as population aging, environmental protection, assistance for underserved groups, or urban management. The focus is on a solution’s public-interest value and social impact. Examples include real-time sign-language translation using AI, optimizing urban carbon emissions, or providing personalized AI tutoring for students in remote areas.

(2) Creative Arts: Reimagining the senses—exploring the boundaries between AI and human creativity.

By combining generative AI (AIGC) with digital media, this track redefines visual, auditory, and interactive experiences. It is suitable for teams interested in imagery, music, games, or cultural heritage preservation. Judges will focus on artistic originality and sensory impact. Examples include AI-driven immersive digital art installations, short-video generation tools integrating intangible cultural heritage, or AI-assisted multilingual scriptwriting.

(3) Business Efficiency (Business Intelligence): Digital transformation—boosting productivity for SMEs and specific industries.

This track focuses on turning AI into concrete business competitiveness. Teams should develop AI tools for specific industries (e.g., finance, legal services, e-commerce, manufacturing) or internal enterprise processes (e.g., HR, customer service). The emphasis is on cost reduction and efficiency gains and a sound business rationale. Examples include an automated customer-service agent for e-commerce, an AI review system for legal documents, or an internal knowledge-base assistant based on RAG technology.

Submission Requirements

(1) Project abstract (within 1,000 words): A description of the core innovation points and technical approach.

(2) Slide deck (up to 15 slides): Market analysis, product architecture, and business model.

(3) Intro video (within 5 minutes): Prototype demonstration and team introduction.

(4) AI prompts: AI agents, such as Tencent Cloud CodeBuddy, are accepted. However, original prompts must be submitted.

(5) Programming codes: Optional bonus item; not required.

(6) Language: Written materials may be in English, Traditional Chinese, or Simplified Chinese. Oral presentations may be in English or Mandarin. Roadshows in Hong Kong will be mainly in English, while roadshows in the Chinese Mainland will be mainly in Mandarin.

Evaluation Criteria

Rewards

• Winning teams in the university category will receive a total cash prize of 100,000 RMB.

• Winning teams in both the university and high school categories will receive free tokens and a one-year membership from Tencent Cloud CodeBuddy.

• Opportunity to engage in in-depth discussions with expert judges from academia and industry.

• Collaborate with like-minded peers to create innovative projects.

Schedule

• May to June:      Team Registration and Proposal Submission
• July to August:  Regional Proposal Selection and Pitch Fest (Hong Kong: Hong Kong; the Chinese Mainland: Shenzhen)

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at ctbe@ust.hk.