Teen Innovators Win Top Honours with Nature-based, Low-cost Solution to Tackle River Odour in Tuen Mun

“River Lord” takes Senior Secondary Division Grand Award and “My Favourite Team” Award in Hang Seng x HKFYG Seek Our Ways Ideation Programme

HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach Newswire - 20 May 2026 - Five students from S.K.H. St. Simon's Lui Ming Choi Secondary School have developed a floating ecological purification system using natural and low-cost materials to improve the Tuen Mun River's water quality and reduce odour. After 180 hours of design, research and testing, the team's project, "River Lord," won the Senior Secondary Division Grand Award in the second cohort of Hang Seng x HKFYG Seek Our Ways Ideation Programme, and also received the "My Favourite Team" Award.

Fully supported by Hang Seng Bank and organised by The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups (HKFYG) Leadership Institute, the second cohort of the Seek Our Ways Ideation Programme (the "Programme") brought together over 400 secondary and tertiary students to tackle pressing social challenges across three themes: Environment & Sustainable Development, Elderly & Wellness, and Arts & Culture. Over five months, participants completed nearly 14,000 hours of training, mentorship, and field exposure. Guided by more than 75 social leaders and advisors, they developed close to 90 proposals grounded in real-world insights and community needs.

From these, nine finalist teams advanced to the final pitching round held at the Penthouse of Hang Seng Bank Headquarters, presenting their ideas to a distinguished panel of judges, school representatives and fellow students. The award presentation was held on the same day and officiated by the Guest of Honour, Mr Clarence Leung, BBS, JP, Acting Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs. He was joined by Ms Luanne Lim, Executive Director and Chief Executive of Hang Seng Bank, and Ms Hsu Siu-man, Executive Director of the HKFYG. More than 240 teachers, students and parents attended to show their support.

Mr Clarence Leung, BBS, JP, Acting Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs , highlighted the growing role of technology in addressing social challenges and encouraged young people to seize emerging opportunities. "We should continuously aim at improving our country's living standards," he said. Mr Leung also highlighted this alignment with the first "Hong Kong Five-Year Plan" designed to complement the national 15th Five‑Year Plan, and stressed that efforts are being made "to improve community and public welfare, thereby opening up vast opportunities for youth participation."

Ms Luanne Lim, Executive Director and Chief Executive of Hang Seng Bank , said, "This is the second consecutive year Hang Seng has supported the Seek Our Ways Ideation Programme. We're pleased to see that across two cohorts, the Programme has attracted over 800 students and received more than 170 creative proposals. Starting from the community, students have turned what they learned into real action, proposing creative solutions and building prototypes to respond to community needs. Their performance is truly encouraging. We hope the Programme not only inspires young people's passion for social innovation but also encourages them to keep exploring and putting ideas into practice, bringing more positive impact to the community."

Ms Hsu Siu-man, Executive Director of HKFYG , emphasised that the programme is designed not as a one-off competition, but as a catalyst for long-term engagement. "We are encouraged to see young people drawing inspiration not from textbooks, but from curiosity and empathy," she said. "Last year's winning team 'Fruitful' has already turned its idea into a social enterprise, with members continuing to deepen their expertise. This is what the programme stands for, a launchpad for those who want to make a lasting difference."

In the Junior Secondary Division, Christian & Missionary Alliance Sun Kei Secondary School won with "Onederful," an eco-friendly packaging solution made from upcycled rice husks and coffee grounds. Developed by Tang Cheuk-wing, Law Mon-in, Har Lok-hin, Chan Ching-yan, Lee Hoi-kiu and Hung Tsz-hei, the team went through more than ten rounds of testing and hope that their biodegradable material will reduce landfill waste generated by e-commerce packaging.

The Senior Secondary Division Grand Award, which also won the "My Favourite Team" Award, went to S.K.H. St. Simon's Lui Ming Choi Secondary School for "River Lord," a nature-based water purification system designed to address long-standing odour issues in the Tuen Mun River. Team members Wang Ming-fang, Cai Yu-yin, Gao Yan-yee, Yam Wing-yu and Chan Hoi-ning devised their idea by using zeolite to support naturally occurring nitrifying bacteria. The system converts ammonia into odourless nitrate, which is then absorbed by eel grass, a native plant that also releases oxygen into the water. The team's low-cost, scalable approach offers a practical pathway to improving urban water systems, with plans for field trials underway.

The Tertiary Division Grand Award went to a cross-university team from The Chinese University of Hong Kong, The Education University of Hong Kong, and City University of Hong Kong. Team members Lam Sze-ming, Leung Pui-ying, Yeung Tsz-ting, Chan Wai-chuen, Ho Tsz-yung and Chan Pak-yee observed that many newly arrived students were unconfident in speaking Cantonese, so they designed a Cantonese card game named "CantoMore" to enable these students to "learn through play" and build their confidence. It is hoped that this initiative will be adopted by local secondary schools in the future to help more students integrate into the community.

Each winning team will receive HK$20,000 and the opportunity to participate in a career immersion experience provided by Hang Seng Bank. On the event day, the audience also voted for the "My Favourite Team" Award, with the winning team receiving HK$2,000.

Seek Our Ways Ideation Programme List of Winning Teams

Grand Award Winners by Division

Junior Secondary Division Grand Award
School and Student Names	Christian & Missionary Alliance Sun Kei Secondary School Tang Cheuk-wing, Law Mon-in, Har Lok-hin, Chan Ching-yan, Lee Hoi-kiu and Hung Tsz-hei
Theme	Upcycling rice husks and coffee grounds into eco-friendly packaging materials
Project Title	Onederful
Project Summary	Online shopping is popular among young people, but most of the packaging used in these transactions is not biodegradable, leading to environmental pollution in the long term. The group discovered that agricultural waste products such as rice husks and coffee grounds can be upcycled into packaging materials for courier services, thereby reducing excessive packaging and alleviating the problem of solid waste in landfills.

Senior Secondary Division Grand Award and "My Favourite Team" Award
School and Student Names	S.K.H. St. Simon's Lui Ming Choi Secondary School Wang Ming-fang, Cai Yu-yin, Gao Yan-yee, Yam Wing-yu and Chan Hoi-ning
Theme	A floating ecological purification system to improve the water quality and reduce odour of the Tuen Mun River
Project Title	River Lord
Project Summary	Members, from a school in Tuen Mun, have long been concerned about the water quality and odour issues in the Tuen Mun River. The proposal suggests using zeolite as a carrier to harness the river's indigenous nitrifying bacteria to convert ammonia nitrogen into odourless nitrate. This nitrate is then absorbed by the native Hong Kong plant Eel Grass, which releases oxygen in the process, thereby creating a self-sustaining micro-ecosystem that improves water quality and reduces odours at low cost.

Tertiary Division Grand Award
School and Student Names	The Chinese University of Hong Kong, The Education University of Hong Kong and City University of Hong Kong Lam Sze-ming, Leung Pui-ying, Yeung Tsz-ting, Chan Wai-chuen, Ho Tsz-yung and Chan Pak-yee
Theme	Cantonese card game named "CantoMore" to enable these students to "learn through play" and build their confidence
Project Title	CantoMore
Project Summary	Members observed that many newly arrived students were unconfident in speaking Cantonese, making it difficult for them to integrate into the local community. This card game combines physical cards with online learning, using scenes from Hong Kong films for practice, enabling newly arrived students to "learn through play," improve their conversational skills, and adapt more quickly to the local community.

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