Two Hong Kong students secured championship titles on Saturday in the first storytelling competition for global youth, delivering impassioned speeches on education and AI before an audience of about 100 people.
Vanessa Jane Wong, a Form Four pupil from the Independent Schools Foundation Academy, won the top award in the senior category, while Wan Ruixi, a Form Two student from Hong Kong University Graduate Association College, took the junior prize.
Organised by the South China Morning Post and supported by Prudential Hong Kong, the STANCE Storytelling Competition 2025 aimed to empower secondary school students to express informed, original perspectives on issues ranging from personal experiences to wider social topics.
Wong captivated the judges with a warning about the dangers of becoming emotionally dependent on artificial intelligence (AI) for companionship – a topic she described as deeply personal.
“After thinking about my topic a lot, I became more aware of how AI is used in more dangerous ways than before,” Wong said after her victory.
She described the competition as an excellent opportunity to develop her skills.
