Primary and secondary school students and their proud parents filled the Wing Hei Theatre at City University of Hong Kong on 12 March for Po Leung Kuk’s “2004 International Year of Rice Art and Design Competition” awards ceremony. Po Leung Kuk Chairman Mr Henry Tan officiated at the ceremony and the Guest of Honour, Dr Waramon Waruttama, Consul of the Royal Thai Consulate General of Hong Kong, handed out certificates and prizes to 60 first and second class honours winners. The winning artworks are on display in the CityU Gallery from 12 to 19 March.

“I am happy to express in a few words my joy at seeing the beautiful and thoughtful works of art these young people have created around the theme of ‘Rice for Life’. The children here today are not only talented in art and design, but also perceptive enough to understand how much rice means for the survival of people, especially in Africa and Asia,” Dr Waruttama said in her

Mr James Ng, Chairman of the CityU Gallery Management Committee and Executive Director of CityU Extension (CTEX) and Ms Connie Ng, Administrative Officer (CTEX), were among the judges of the Competition. “The Competition provided participants with a good opportunity to understand the importance of rice as a vital source of sustenance,” Ms Ng commented. “The overall standard of works was very high, which made it extremely difficult to choose one over another.”

Mr Ng represented the University and the CityU Gallery in giving prizes to 20 winners of the competition. He praised the students’ positive outlook and powerful messages: “I was especially impressed with their effective presentation of the life cycle of rice and its link to the human race, through multimedia and the creative use of colour and shape.”

The Competition, held to raise students’ awareness of rice-related issues, was co-organised by CityU, the Education and Manpower Bureau of Hong Kong SAR, The Hong Kong Institute of Education, the Hong Kong Society for Education in Art, and HKedCity, in conjunction with Po Leung Kuk. A total of 544 schools and organizations participated in the event, from 19 countries or regions, including Greater China, Thailand, Egypt, Bulgaria, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Portugal and India, among others.

The 2,300 sq ft CityU Gallery is located on Level 6 of the Amenities Building, next to the Wei Hing theatre.