The Honorable KK Chan, the Chief Secretary for Administration of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, esteemed guests, and friends of the Yidan Prize Foundation, I am so pleased to welcome you to our 2024 Yidan Prize Awards Ceremony.

Tonight, we come together to recognize exceptional people whose work is equipping the next generations to meet unprecedented challenges and grasp opportunities we have yet to fully realize. 

Because the world is changing faster than we ever imagined — and education must transform to keep up.

Since the beginning, we have awarded two prizes annually: one for education research and one for education development. They work in harmony. Evidence must inform and shape policy and practice. And effective interventions open access to education as well as new avenues to explore.

Indeed, the Yidan Prize is made in a changing world. We don’t limit ourselves to a theme. The prize is open to individuals and groups. We offer flexible funding, foster networks, and harness the power of the collective. So that together, we can not only endure change, but encourage it, as driven by our mission. 

Education, after all, is the driving force for social progress. And as I welcome four new members to our laureate community, it’s clear how strongly this is reflected in their work, which moves us closer to a brighter, fairer world.

To Professor Wolfgang Lutz, I offer my congratulations and admiration. Wolfgang, your research has demonstrated the power of education to change lives and enrich our collective future. Your work means we can join the dots between education and unlocking human potential. As a demographer who is deeply invested in understanding how we build a brighter future together, you share data freely with other researchers as part of your commitment to collaboration and progress. Crucially, you have given us compelling evidence for how education is at the center of our well-being and global sustainable development—and this includes adapting to climate change. 

I would like to extend my congratulations and appreciation to our second ever laureate team of Professor Mark Jordans, Marwa Zahr, and Luke Stannard from War Child Alliance. Mark, Marwa, Luke: you and your team’s work through the ‘Can’t Wait to Learn’ intervention reaches children living in some of the most difficult contexts in the world. Thanks to the intervention, children can learn in an engaging, effective way that speaks to their own culture and experiences, developed in partnership with local partners and educators, and in line with their national curriculum. Children develop vital foundational skills they will build on for life, as they flourish in incredibly challenging circumstances.

Tonight, we share this moment of celebration as our 2024 laureates officially receive their awards. I would also like to thank the Honorable John Lee, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong SAR, who sends his congratulations to our 2024 laureates for their remarkable achievements.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I will conclude by sharing a short, recent story. In October, my family and I went for a walk by a lake. Far from the city lights, we saw a comet with a long tail in the sky. That comet is called C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan–ATLAS. It takes 80,660 years to orbit the sun — which means it may be another 80,660 years before it is back in our skies again. As a poem goes, “No ancients before me, Nor comers from behind.” Human is small in the face of time and space. Humble as we are, the very best of human nature can shine from any person, from any background. So in that moment when my wife and I gazed into the limitless sky, I wished for peace of the world, through culture, science, technology, politics, economy, society, and through education.

Thank you.