Competition for the much-coveted South China Morning Post Student of the Year Awards 2002/03 will heat up as the first round of the semi-finals gets underway tomorrow. After a month-long delay caused by the Sars outbreak, 48 shortlisted candidates from three regions - Kowloon, Hong Kong Island and Outlying Islands, and the New Territories - will be battling it out in the coming two weeks. Meanwhile, winners of the other seven categories - Best Improvement, Student Dancer of the Year, Student Linguist of the Year, Student Musician of the Year, Student Computer Scientist of the Year, Student Sportsperson of the Year and Student Visual Artist of the Year - have already been selected. So look out for our announcement of the winners and the list of Student of the Year finalists in mid-June. More than 300 students were nominated by their principals for all eight categories and the semi-finals for the Student of the Year Award will focus on the contestants' ability to think on their feet. This year, the winner of the Student of the Year Award will receive a South China Morning Post scholarship of $30,000 and one free course worth $1,500 from the Art School of the Hong Kong Arts Centre. The three runners-up will receive a South China Morning Post scholarship of $5,000. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all those dedicated professionals who sat, and will be sitting, on our seven individual category and semi-final judging panels. They include: Tang Kin-hung, senior curriculum development officer (technology education), Education and Manpower Bureau; Ng Hok-ling, chairman of the Hong Kong Association for Computer Education; Frankie Chung, creative director of Centro Digital Pictures; artists Ho Siu-kee, Li Chi-tak and Ah Chung; Tai Kit-man, curriculum development officer (music), arts education section, EMB; Professor Anthony Camden, dean of music at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (School of Music); Veronica Lee of People Mountain People Sea; Fay Ho Kim-fai, executive director of the Hong Kong Sports Association for the Mentally Handicapped; EMB's chief school development officers Julie Chen Wai-ming, Joyce Lui Chien Yiu-chu, Mark Wan and W.L. Man; Scarlett Pong, CEO and founder of Health Quotient International Institute; and Outstanding Young Person (1986) Choi Kai-yan. Here are details of the judging sessions of the semi-finals to be held at the SCMP city office: Kowloon semi-final: Tomorrow, 9am-12pm Hong Kong semi-final: June 6, 2pm-5pm The New Territories semi-final: June 7, 9am-12pm
