The Science Docent Challenge 2026 is jointly organised by the Hong Kong Space Museum and the Department of Physics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), and supported by the Education Bureau. It aims at sparking students’ interests in science and enhancing their science communication skills. In this contest, the Organisers have designated one compulsory exhibit and three elective exhibits on cosmology in the Hall of the Cosmos at the Hong Kong Space Museum. Contestants are required to introduce the compulsory exhibit and at least two other elective exhibits in an engaging and lively way to help visitors understand the science behind them.

Environment of the Hall of the Cosmos:

Compulsory Exhibit:

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC)

Eligibility:

• Contestants must be full-time Secondary 4 to 6 (or equivalent) students enrolled in local secondary schools in the 2025/26 school year.
• Contestants shall enter the contest on a school basis.
• Each school can nominate up to two teams with each team comprising two students.

Application Period and Method:

• The application period is from 10.11.2025 (Mon) to 5.12.2025 (Fri) (5:00 pm). Late applications will not be accepted.
• Please submit the application form along with a copy of each contestant’s student card or student handbook (the page with recent photograph) via email to acoslib@lcsd.gov.hk.
• Upon receipt of the application form, the Organiser will send a confirmation letter to the teacher-in-charge and the contestants via email within 5 working days. Please check the inbox and spam folders of your email. If you do not receive the confirmation letter after 5 working days, please contact us at acoslib@lcsd.gov.hk.

The application form will be available for download on 10.11.2025 (Mon).

To enhance the understanding of the contest, the selected exhibits, and the scientific concepts involved, a briefing session will be conducted for teachers-in-charge and students. The briefing session will introduce the details of contest, the selected exhibits, and include a screening of the school show “Secrets of the Universe 3D”.

Date: 25.11.2025 (Tue)

Time: 4:00 – 6:30 pm

Venue: Lecture Hall, Hong Kong Space Museum

Speakers: Assistant Curators of the Hong Kong Space Museum and representatives of CUHK

Language: Cantonese

Teachers and students are welcome to attend. Registration is not required. Seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Format:

• Each team must prepare a 1-2 minutes trailer for a guided tour introducing the LHC exhibit and at least two other elective exhibits from the above list.

• The trailer must be submitted online as specified between 10.12.2025 (Wed) and 22.12.2025 (Mon) (5:00 pm). Late submissions will not be accepted.

Trailer must include:

1. self-introduction: must clearly show the contestants’ faces from the front, stating their names, school and form
2. an overview of the tour’s storyline
3. the selected exhibits
4. the scientific concepts involved
5. the props to be used (if any)

• Both contestants must appear in the trailer, with no restrictions on costume. They must speak in Cantonese, Putonghua or English, and can use graphics and photos to enhance their presentation. If applicable, the text should be written in either Chinese or English.
• There is no limit to the number of props. However, all props must fit together inside an A4 paper box (as shown in the photo below) measuring approximately 31±3 cm (W) x 22±3 cm (D) x 22±3 cm (H).

1. Scientific accuracy (40%)
2. Storyline of the guided tour (30%)
3. Creativity, attractiveness and presentation skills (30%)

*The trailer must be between 1 and 2 minutes in length. A 30% deduction from the total score will result if the duration falls outside this range.

• Adjudicators will evaluate the work of each team based on the judging criteria. Ten teams with the highest scores will enter the Final.
• Teams eligible for the Final will be notified via email.
• The results will be announced on the website of Hong Kong Space Museum on 3.2.2026 (Tue).

Guided Tour Proposal:

• Finalist teams must submit a detailed proposal for the guided tour online as specified by 3.3.2026 (Tue) 5:00 pm.
• The proposal will serve as a reference for adjudicators and museum staff for evaluation and rehearsal arrangements.

Guided tour proposal must include:

1. objectives of the guided tour
2. introduction
3. time allocation for the 10-minute guided tour
4. content for the 10-minute guided tour (images and photos can be used)
5. connections to the selected exhibits
6. scientific concepts involved
7. props used (if any, with the same requirements as in the trailer)

*The proposal can be written in Chinese or English and is limited to 10 single-sided A4 pages.

Rehearsal:

• Finalist teams must reserve a rehearsal session by 3.3.2026 (Tue) at 5:00 pm.
• Finalist teams must attend a 40-minute rehearsal session at the Hall of the Cosmos of the Hong Kong Space Museum on either 17.3.2026 or 24.3.2026 (Tue).

Final:

Date: 31.3.2026 (Tue)

Venue: Hall of the Cosmos, Hong Kong Space Museum

• Each team is required to deliver a 10-minute guided tour to the adjudicators.
• The guided tour must be based on the trailer and should connect to the LHC exhibit and at least two other elective exhibits from the above list.
• Both contestants must participate in the guided tour, with no restrictions on costume. They must speak in Cantonese, Putonghua or English, and can use graphics and photos to enhance their presentation. If applicable, the text should be written in either Chinese or English.
• There is no limit to the number of props. However, all props must fit together inside an A4 paper box measuring approximately 31±3 cm (W) x 22±3 cm (D) x 22±3 cm (H).

Judging Criteria:

1. Scientific accuracy (35%)
2. Use of exhibits, panels, and handy props (25%)
3. Presentation skills (total 20%; 10% for each participant)
4. Creativity and attractiveness (10%)
5. Audience (adjudicators) engagement (10%)

*The guided tour must be completed within 10 minutes. Exceeding this time limit will result in a 20% deduction from the total score.

• During and after the guided tour, adjudicators will ask questions related to the presentation and evaluate the team’s performance.
• The results of the contest will be announced, and an award presentation ceremony will be held after the contest.

• Awards include the champion, the first runner-up, the second runner-up, and two merit prizes.
• The students of the champion, the first runner-up, and the second runner-up will have the opportunity to join a physics study tour to Europe in summer 2026, organised by CUHK. While the cost of insurance, flight tickets, transportation, accommodations, and the visiting fee for the study tour will be covered by CUHK, students are responsible for their own meal expenses during the trip.
• The students of the champion, the first runner-up, and the second runner-up will have the opportunity to conduct their winning guided tours for the public at the Hong Kong Space Museum.

1. The contest is jointly organised by the Hong Kong Space Museum and the Department of Physics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, and supported by the Education Bureau.
2. Contestants need to guarantee that the content of the entries do not infringe any copyright, and are the owners of the copyright and publication right. Please refer to relevant ordinances. The Organisers take no liability whatsoever regarding any infringement therein. For the sake of respect for intellectual property rights, the source of any non-original content must be acknowledged.
3. Contestants shall understand and agree to grant and assign exclusively to the Organisers all the intellectual property rights of the submitted entry. The Organisers have the right to display the entry content, title, synopsis and contestants' information in any form of media for demonstration, publication, exhibition, promotion or any non-commercial activities. The Organisers also have the authority to edit, translate, adapt, use, copy and distribute, in whole or in part of the entries without any need for prior consent of or payment of fees to the contestants.
4. Trailers of non-awarded teams will be destroyed within one year after completion of the contest.
5. Video and photo shooting will be performed in each stage of the contest. The Organisers are deemed to take and use images of contestants for educational and promotional purposes.
6. All decisions made by the Organisers for the contest are final and binding, and the Organisers reserve the right to amend the rules of the contest.
7. Contestants give consent to all rules of the contest by submitting the application form.