To celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), the “NOVA: National AI Creativity Competition”, organized by the Center for Technology and Business Ecosystem (CTBE), HKUST Shanghai Alumni Chapter, and Tencent Research Institute, has successfully concluded its Hong Kong final pitch fest on August 24, 2026.
While 166 students from 46 teams across 13 local institutions submitted their proposals, 34 students from 10 teams across 7 local institutions were chosen for the Hong Kong final pitch fest. They presented their proposals before a judging panel across three tracks: Social Impact, Creative Arts, and Business Efficiency.
This year’s winning team was WalkWithU with its project “AI Smart Insole × Alzheimer's disease × Fall risk prediction”. The champion team includes five HKUST students from the School of Engineering: Hiu Ying LAM, Chun Kit ZHANG, Rebekah CHEUNG Sum Yu, Ella ZHANG, and Hoi Lee TAM.
The Second Prize went to HAXEGON for its project “Making farming easy for all”. The runner-up team includes two HKU students, Xenon CHIU and Hayden LAM.
Maipal received Third Prize for its project “An AI Traditional Chinese Medicine Wellness Companion”. The team includes three PolyU students, Xi JIN, Linjie YIN, and Connie CAO.
For the remaining seven teams, five teams received special awards, while two received honorable mentions.
Prof. Kai-Lung Hui, Associate Provost (Academic Development) of HKUST and Director of CTBE, points out, “At HKUST, our answer is clear. We want to nurture people who use AI not as a shortcut, but as a lever — people who use these powerful tools to create greater value for human wellbeing. The question is never simply ‘what can the technology do?’ The question is: what can you do, with technology as your partner?”
Prof. Zhaoli Meng, associate director of CTBE, says, “AI is developing at extraordinary speed. But technology itself is only the starting point. What matters is how people use it to identify meaningful problems, develop new ideas, and turn those ideas into real solutions. We wanted to see how young people can use AI to think differently, solve real problems, and create new possibilities.”
Ms. Tracy Liu, President of HKUST Shanghai Alumni Chapter, Founder of Mingzhu Training Program, and an advisor of CTBE, argues, “Innovation often happens precisely when different people, different experiences, and different perspectives come together. Through this competition, we hope to create more opportunities for young people to explore new ideas, engage with new technologies, and connect with people from different backgrounds.”
