Nearly 500 primary and secondary school students from Hong Kong and Macao on Tuesday took part in the regional qualifier for the remote-control underwater vehicle tournament, vying for place in the national finals, to be held in August.

Under the theme “Antarctic scientific expedition”, 309 students from Hong Kong and 151 from Macao gathered at Hong Kong Polytechnic University on Tuesday morning.

Competitors, split into different categories based on their school grades, were required to build an underwater vehicle in the shape of seaperch, and remotely control the vehicle to capture and transport floating objects during the competition.

The qualifier ended on Tuesday, although the results have not yet been announced. Teams with high scores will represent the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions at the national finals, to be held in Beijing.

Speaking at the event, Qiu Chengli, a second-class inspector for the Department of Scientific and Technological Talents and Scientific Popularization under the Ministry of Science and Technology, invited Hong Kong and Macao students to participate in the wide range of science education activities on the Chinese mainland, where they can leverage their advantages of receiving a high-quality education within strongly internationalized cities to achieve good results in national, and even international, competitions.

Lin Mingsen, vice-chairman and general secretary of the Chinese Society for Oceanography, said the competition provides an opportunity for exchanges between teenagers from Hong Kong, Macao and the mainland, and can raise awareness among various sectors in Hong Kong and Macao of marine science, technological innovation and youth education.

Lin said he hopes that young people can seize the moment and find their path as future leaders in technological innovation.

Christopher Chao Yu-Hang, vice-president in charge of research and innovation at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, said at the event that teenagers are the future for the country's innovative development.

“I hope students can gain an in-depth understanding of cutting-edge marine technology, master scientific research methods, and cultivate the ability to innovate across disciplines,” Chao said.

Chen Liuqi, chairperson of the event's organizing committee and founder of the Hong Kong Science Popularization and Science Fiction Academy, said the competition aims to extend the celebratory vibe of the 27th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland and strengthen friendship among teenagers in Guangdong province, Hong Kong and Macao.

“I hope the event will encourage more youths to contribute to technological innovation in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area," she said. 

Chiu Zing-fai, head teacher of Macao’s Lou Hau High School team, said his students had learnt how to design underwater vehicles from scratch in three months, and they have been able to optimize the seaperch they created.

Fung Siu-fung, a Grade-8 student from Hong Kong’s Poca Wong Siu Ching Secondary School, said that his team had made the body of their seaperch using plastic pipes. Participating in the competition has improved his hands-on practical abilities, Fung added.

Apart from taking part in the underwater competition, teams in the regional final were required to give an onsite presentation of their vehicle and attend Q&A sessions. Higher-grade students were required to submit their technical design reports.

Two schools from mainland cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area were invited to attend the activity’s exchange match in celebration of the 27th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong SAR on Monday.

Wang Yinxia, head teacher of the Dongguan Dalang Qidong School team, said the exchange match was in line with the Strategy of Invigorating China Through Science and Education, adding that students will be able to gain new ideas and form friendships through the competition.

The competition’s national contests are co-organized by the Chinese Institute of Electronics and the Chinese Society for Oceanography and its Hong Kong and Macao regional contest is jointly hosted by the Hong Kong Science Popularization and Science Fiction Academy and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

Wu Xinyu contributed to this story.