Aspiring poets are polishing their pens and preparing to enter a poetry contest with the theme of friendship.
The contest, sponsored by the South China Morning Post, Apple Daily, the Mass Transit Railway Corporation, The British Council, M and C Saatchi Advertising, Gregg and Bailey and the Royal Commonwealth Society, also aims to boost literacy standards and creativity.
Businessman David Tang Wing-cheung, organiser and president of the society, said: 'It is a shame that the Hong Kong Government only promotes information technology but there was not one word mentioned in this year's Policy Address about promoting Chinese culture.' Mr Tang said friendship was a good topic for both adults and children.
'Everyone has friends and one should have some feeling or other about friendship,' he said.
'I am not only expecting poems to praise friendship but also to describe the darker side of human nature.' There are four categories in the competition: senior and under 16s in both English and Chinese.
The only stipulation is that poems cannot exceed the maximum length of 14 lines. Winners in each category will receive $10,000 and their work will be published in the Post and Apply Daily and on posters in the MTR.
Chiu Cheung-ki, of Ming Sha, a historic Chinese poets' association, is one of the judges for Chinese language entries. He encouraged young people to write poems.