Hong Kong is known for its food, sexy shopping malls and stunning views, but there’s more to the city than meets the eye. The semi-autonomous territory has plenty of culture, innovation and community spirit too. From brain cancer survivors running a charity to help students with mental health issues to an artist who reinterprets human rights through fine art concepts, these are some of the unsung heroes celebrated at this year’s Spirit of Hong Kong Awards.

The prize was established in honor of a beloved former professor at HKUST who believed that every student should be well-versed in local history. The winners receive recognition, funding for arts projects or further studies, increased international visibility through top-tier media coverage and access to world-class Hong Kong research facilities.

Winners can expect to be featured in leading international peer-reviewed journals and invited to world-class conferences pertinent to their field. They can also enjoy an immersive experience of Hong Kong’s culture and be given the opportunity to collaborate with researchers in the city to accelerate their scientific progress. The BOCHK Science and Technology Innovation Prize is an independent merit-based award with an overall value of HKD2 million provided by Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited to recognise scientists whose groundbreaking discoveries have significant societal ramifications and encourage forward thinking research in Hong Kong. It is awarded across four fields – artificial intelligence, life and health sciences, new materials and energy and advanced manufacturing and FinTech.

In the arts, best actress went to Tse Tsz-yuen for her performance in Nick Cheuk Yik-him’s drama about family trauma and student suicide, Ten Years, which was a box office hit locally but antagonised Beijing. Meanwhile, best new director was awarded to Wong Kar-wai for his film Time Still Turns the Pages, which was filmed on location in Hong Kong’s Lei Yue Mun fishing village.

Athletes who win medals in individual events at this month’s Paris Olympics will take home a substantial amount of cash. Those who finish outside the top three, but within the top eight, will earn a minimum of HK$750,000, while those who win gold will receive a total of HK$12m, silver a minimum of HK$6m and bronze a minimum of HK$3m. Athletes who are part of a team that wins a gold, silver or bronze will earn double those amounts. That’s good news for Singaporean kitesurfer Maximilian Maeder, who stands on the verge of winning a gold medal for Hong Kong in the team event and a record-breaking payout for a non-Olympic sport.