EdUHK Hosts 2nd International Competition on AI in Education
Advancing Innovation in AI‑Powered Education
The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) hosted the Final Pitch and Award Presentation Ceremony of the 2nd International Competition on AI in Education 2026 on 15 July at New Academic Building, Tai Po Campus.
This year’s competition expanded significantly in scale, attracting over 300 participants from more than a dozen countries and regions, including the Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong SAR, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Morocco, Indonesia, Vietnam, South Korea, and Mongolia. A total of 212 submissions were received, with 98 projects shortlisted to present pioneering AI-powered education solutions at the Final Pitch. Champions, first and second runners up, four special awards, and merit awards were conferred at the ceremony.
Distinguished guests outside EdUHK attending the Awards Presentation Ceremony included Mr Yang Daosheng from FastGPT, Mr Kinfey Lo from Microsoft, Professor Hu Xiangen from the Polytechnic University of Hong Kong, Professor Morris Jong from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Professor Elliott Wen from The University of Auckland and Dr Fan Si from the University of Tasmania.
In her opening remarks, Professor May Cheng May-hung, Vice President (Academic) of EdUHK, noted, “This year’s submissions address pressing challenges in education, demonstrating cross-cultural critical thinking and innovative spirit. Participants from diverse regions have collectively articulated a shared vision: to uphold principles, harness AI responsibly, advance educational development, and benefit communities worldwide.”
To foster effective AI collaboration across society, particularly among the younger generation, the competition removed conventional group and age restrictions. Primary school students were eligible to participate, with contestants randomly divided into two major streams. The event drew strong engagement from students, frontline educators, academic researchers, and industry practitioners worldwide.
The Final Pitch centred three core themes: Deployment of Generative AI Tools, Customised AI Agent Development, and Embodied AI Applications. An international panel of experts in AI and education evaluated entries against five criteria: relevance to educational challenge, technical feasibility, social responsibility and ethics, innovation and creativity, and long-term scalability. Five champion projects were selected:
- The SCALE Framework: School-based Collaborative for AI Literacy and Ethics from Po Leung Kuk No.1 W.H. Cheung College implementing the “One-Third Principle”: A New STEAM Paradigm Empowering “Tech Creativity × Citizenship” through AI;
- SpeakAble HK developed by The University of Hong Kong and EdUHK, a generative AI voice-cloning platform providing personalised Cantonese pronunciation training for 67,870 local students with special educational needs;
- Agentic Oral Assessment and Casual Learning Platform by Claire Labs implementing AI Voice Agents for Oral Assurance of Learning;
- PolyInterview from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, a multi-agent interview practice platform for communication education;
- AI-Enhanced Virtual Reality Simulation jointly developed by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and The University of Hong Kong to improve nursing students’ Communication Skills in Clinical Handover.
Professor Xu Guandong, Assistant Vice President (Artificial Intelligence and Education Innovation), Chair Professor of Artificial Intelligence, and Director of the University Research Facility of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence at EdUHK, remarked, “This competition has become a global platform for cross‑disciplinary collaboration in AI education, bringing together academia and industry. The finalists exemplify the forefront of responsible AI innovation in education, embodying the principle that AI should empower educators and learners, not replace them, and opening new directions for global educational development.”
The competition was hosted by the Artificial Intelligence Research and Education Alliance (AIREA) of EdUHK, with the Centre for Learning, Teaching and Technology (LTTC) as organiser. The Artificial Intelligence and Digital Competency Education Centre (AIDCEC) and the Department of Mathematics and Information Technology (MIT) co‑organised the event. Industry partners included FastGPT, the Hong Kong Generative AI Research and Development Centre (HKGAI), and Z.AI, while Umm Al‑Qura University in Saudi Arabia served as the regional co‑organiser for the Gulf region.
AIREA will continue to convene international competitions, forums, and collaborative projects, uniting academia, industry, and policymakers to explore the transformative potential of AI in education.
For the full awardee list and further details of the 2nd International Competition on AI in Education, please visit: https://airea.eduhk.hk/competitions/airea-competition-2026/.
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EdUHK Hosts 2nd International Competition on AI in Education
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