In response to the ongoing renewal of the primary school curriculum and the rapid advancement of technology, the Education Bureau has been actively promoting Innovation and Technology (I&T) education and STEAM education in the purpose of nurturing students’ creative thinking and lifelong learning capabilities. Supported by the Education Bureau, the Hong Kong Association for Computer Education (HKACE), in collaboration with Hong Kong Education City, will launch the “Literacy Excellence and Digital Skills Award (LEADS)” for the 2025/2026 school year. This award programme is designed to enhance students’ digital literacy and competencies with three key objectives.
Program Purpose & Objectives
Cultivate primary school students’ interest and motivation to learn in the fields of information technology, programming, and STEAM
Let students establish good digital literacy and use information technology correctly
Awards are given to students who have performed well, encouraging continuous learning and development
Program Introduction
Students are required to complete the relevant award learning activities during the the Programme period. As long as participants complete the relevant award targets and after being assessed by the school as having achieved the target, participants will receive one of the following three awards according to the achieved goals: “Star of Excellence”, “Shining Star” and “Star of Stars”
Program Targets and Requirements
- Primary school students in P4 to P6
- All enrolled schools must be school members of the Hong Kong Association for Computer Education
- Students must register through their schools, participate in the Programme in their own name, and hold a student account with the Hong Kong Education City
Fees
The Association shall charge the following administrative fees to each student applying for certification:
Star of Excellence: $25 per student
Shining Star: $60 per student
Payment for the relevant fees is due after 30 April 2026. The Association will charge schools based on the verified student numbers and information confirmed in the system
Schools need to ensure that the uploaded materials meet the certification requirements of the specified level. If the Association finds that the student has not met the specified conditions and cancels the certification, the fee paid will not be refunded
Learning Activity Focus and Award Objectives
- “Star of Excellence” (Rated by the School)
Students are required to complete the following two items:
| Learning Activity Focus | Award Objectives ("Star of Excellence") |
|---|---|
| Improve digital literacy and skills |
1. Please use AI to complete the following (i) or (ii) work
Specify one of the following topics* *Specify the topic: - The benefits of digital technology (including AI) for our life/learning - Promote the correct and ethical use of digital technology/importance to students (i) Use AI to complete a work, such as creating generative AI promotional posters, four-panel comics, one-minute short films, songs, interactive games; developing AI chatbots, etc.), and submit prompt content (i.e., input instructions or text descriptions that guide AI-generated content) to guide AI-generated content or chatbots or (ii) Create a STEAM work with AI elements (introduce the work with photos and text descriptions) 2. Students learn and understand the importance of digital literacy in the application of technology in their lives through classes and online self-study, and schools use different methods (e.g., assessment, personal debriefing, etc.) to assess students' established literacy |
2. “Shining Star” (Judged by the School)
Students are required to complete (1) compulsory items and (2) optional items:
Compulsory items (the following three items must be completed)
| Learning Activity Focus | Award Objectives ("Shining Star") |
|---|---|
| Improve digital literacy and skills |
1. Use AI to complete a work on one of the following designated topics*, such as creating a generative AI promotional poster, a four-panel comic, a one-minute video, a song, an interactive game; develop AI chatbots, etc.), and submit prompt content (i.e., input instructions or text descriptions that guide AI-generated content) to guide AI-generated content or chatbots *Specify the topic： - The benefits of digital technology, including AI, for our life/learning - To promote the correct and ethical use of digital technology/importance to students |
| 2. Create a STEAM work with AI elements (introduce the work with photos and text descriptions) | |
| 3. Shoot a 2-minute reflection video on personal digital literacy learning |
Optional items (Minimum completion of the following two items)
| Learning Activity Focus | Award Objectives ("Shining Star") |
|---|---|
| Enhance digital literacy and skills, and cultivate awareness of using digital technology knowledge to serve schools | 1. Utilize knowledge and skills related to digital technology (including information technology, AI, etc.) to provide schools with no less than 3 hours of services, such as serving as an IT / AI/STEAM ambassador, assisting teachers in implementing digital technology including AI teaching, promoting digital technology knowledge and/or digital literacy in schools through campus television stations, etc. ) |
| 2. Attend at least two activities related to AI or digital literacy designated by the Hong Kong Association for Computer Education | |
| 3. Won an award in a competition related to AI or digital literacy designated by the Hong Kong Association for Computer Education | |
| 4. Obtain AI-related certifications |
Record date of student award or work: from 1 Sep 2025 to 30 Apr 2026
3. “Star of Stars”
Eligibility for the “Star of Stars” Award:
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Eligibility | Each school can nominate a student who has won the "Shining Star" to compete for the "Star of Stars" award, and upload the student's work, student activity or competition record and reflection video to the Hong Kong Education City. For details, please refer to the submitted work and learning records |
| Selection Process | A panel of judges representing the Hong Kong Association for Computer Education and the Hong Kong Education City select the five top performing students as "Stars of Stars" |
| Grading Criteria | 1. Student work performance 20% |
| 2. Students' digital ability performance 40% | |
| 3. Students' digital literacy performance 40% |
| Activity/Competition Name | Organizing Institution | Activity Type | Completion Criteria | Activity Date | Related Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The International Coding Elite (ICE) Challenge | ICE Foundation, HKACE | Competition | *Complete the competition | To be determined | Competition Introduction |
| Computational Thinking Online Self-learning Course and Workshop | EdCity | Online Self-learning Course | Complete the course | / | Course Link |
| Artificial Intelligence Online Self-learning Course and Workshop | EdCity | Online Self-learning Course | Complete the course | / | Course Link |
| Hong Kong Primary Schools Olympiad in Informatics | HKACE, HKOI, Modern Educational Research Society Limited | Competition | *Complete the competition | December 2025 to February 2026 | Competition Website |
| Student Innovation Competition | EdCity | Competition | *Complete the competition | October 2025 to June 2026 | Competition Website Registration Link |
|
*Note: 1. Participation item: Students who complete the competition but do not receive awards will be counted in the "Participation in Association/EdCity Activities" item; 2. Award item: Students who receive awards in the competition will be counted in the student's "Awards" item. |
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Awards
- Individual Awards
The Hong Kong Computer Education Society and the Hong Kong Education City will award awards to students who have achieved the assessment results - Students who receive the “Star of Excellence” will be awarded an electronic certificate of commendation
- Students who receive the “Shining Star” will be awarded a commemorative certificate of commendation
- Students who win the “Star of Stars” will be awarded a trophy
School Awards
Schools that perform well will receive the following awards
- “Active Participating School Award”: The 3 schools with the most awards
- “Shining Star School Award”: The school that received the most “Shining Stars”
- Each winning school will be awarded a trophy
Schedule
| Date | Schedule |
|---|---|
| 18 November 2025 | Online Programme Briefing |
| 24 November - 5 December 2025 | School Registration Period |
| 15 - 31 December 2025 | School Verification of Student List |
| 5 January - 30 April 2026 | System Open: Student Record Upload Schools may begin data verification from 1 April |
| 30 April 2026 | Deadline for Student Record Submission |
| 10 May 2026 | Final School Data Confirmation and
Submission of "Star of the Stars" Nominee List |
| On or before 5 June 2026 | Notification of Award Results and Certification Status to Schools |
PICCKS Scoring System
| Positive Mindset and Value | Innovation and Creativity | Communication and Collaboration | Knowledge and Skills | |
| Participating in the programme | ✓（Students can earn PICCKS points by completing different tasks or activities in the programme.） | |||
| Awarded "Star of Excellence" | ||||
| Awarded "Shining Star" | ||||
| Awarded "Star of Stars" | ||||
Use of the Work
- The Association and Hong Kong Education City may use all or part of the entries (including school names) for educational promotion, such as publicity, display (including but not limited to physical display or uploading to websites or social platforms) or other non-profit making purposes
- Outstanding works may be produced into learning and teaching resources to support the promotion of digital education in schools
School Notes
- The Association reserves the right to change, suspend or terminate the event at any time. Any changes will be announced on the Association’s website
- The Association reserves the right to change the rewards without prior notice
- There is no appeal mechanism under the Scheme
- If you wish to change your information after the online application form is submitted, you must notify the organizer. Once submitted, the work cannot be modified or re-uploaded
- Participating schools are required to retain their works until the end of the current school year
- The date and time of submission of entries are subject to the information on the computer server of Hong Kong Education City
- Participating schools must ensure that the information and content of their entries are in line with the curriculum objectives and objectives of the Education Bureau, do not contain elements such as obscenity, foul language, violence, defamation, endangering national security, etc., and must not violate the laws of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, otherwise they will be disqualified
- All entries (including any component of the work) must not infringe the copyright or rights of others. If there is any violation, the participant’s participation in the Programme and the eligibility to win the prize will be forfeited, and the participant shall be responsible for any disputes arising therefrom. If necessary, the Association will require participants to provide legal authorization or relevant written proof
- Participants and their schools must ensure that the content of the works does not infringe any copyright and publication rights, and the Association and Hong Kong Education City will not be liable for any legal liability arising from copyright infringement. For details, please visit the Intellectual Property Department’s website: https://www.ipd.gov.hk/tc/home/index.html
- The Association reserves the right to refuse any entries to participate in the Program or disqualify participants without explanation
- Participants, their parents and schools must agree that the copyright of the work belongs to the Association
Personal Information Collection Statement
- Participants must provide the personal information required for the application form, and are responsible for ensuring that the information provided is complete and true, and agree to authorize the Association to disclose the relevant information (including the participant’s name, grade level and school) for contact, announcement of the results of the Programme, publicity, etc. After the competition is completed, all collected data will be destroyed if it is not retained. If participants fail to provide their personal data, the Association may not accept their participation in this programme
- For the above purposes, the names of participants and related parties and the names of their schools may be disclosed on the Education Bureau, Hong Kong Education City and the Association’s websites, other websites and/or media
- If you link to a website other than the HKACE/Hong Kong EdCity’s website, you will be deemed to have left HKACE/Hong Kong EdCity’s website. The Association/Hong Kong Education City is not responsible for the security and data protection aspects of any personal data provided to these websites
Enquiries
About the Programme:
leads@hkace.org.hk
Technical Support:
info@edcity.hk