Theme awards

HKUST-SINO One Million Dollar Entrepreneurship Competition 2026

 

In addition to the Round 2 assessment (Innovativeness and/or Technology Content, Commercial Feasibility, Team Capability, and Pitching Delivery), each Theme Award is evaluated through one additional score column. This score captures award‑specific strengths only and is assessed on top of the general Round‑2 scores.  

 

Sustainability Impact Award

  1. Significance and clarity of the environmental and social sustainability impact

  2. Strength of the project’s economic viability and long‑term sustainability

  3. Credibility of the scalability and replicability beyond the initial use case

  4. Effectiveness of partnerships in enhancing implementation and overall impact  

 

Transformative AI Award

  1. Whether AI is core and necessary to the solution (not cosmetic or replaceable)

  2. Clarity of the AI‑enabled advantage (e.g. scale, accuracy, automation, intelligence)

  3. Credibility of the data, model, or system logic supporting the AI claims

  4. Awareness of AI risks (e.g. bias, reliability, data privacy) and mitigation approach  

 

NextGen Biotech Award

  1. Novelty and soundness of the biological / biomedical / life‑science approach

  2. Strength of the scientific rationale or evidence presented

  3. Realism of the path from research to application (e.g. validation, trials, regulatory)

  4. Potential for meaningful healthcare, life‑science, or biological impact  

 

Societal Influential Award [Updated]

  1. Meaningfulness of the societal challenge and target beneficiary group

  2. Credibility of the rationale, data, or validation supporting the societal need

  3. Realism of implementation and scaling for measurable societal outcomes

  4. Potential for sustained, positive, and scalable societal impact