Professor WONG (Vice President (Education)), Professor LAU (Associate Dean Faculty of Engineering), Professor HU (Associate Head of Department of Electronic and Information Engineering), Mr KONG (PolyU CTF Team NuttyShell Coach), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

Good afternoon. I am delighted to be here today for the Prize Presentation Ceremony of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) x NuttyShell Cybersecurity Capture The Flag (CTF) 2025. First of all, I would like to express my heartfelt congratulations to all the prize winners of the competition. This competition has attracted over 120 team applications from local secondary schools, sub-degree institutions and degree institutions this year. It not only recognises your remarkable achievements and talents in both offensive and defensive cybersecurity skills, but also provides a platform and catalyst for you all to collaborate and share your knowledge.

It is so glad to see that PolyU and NuttyShell organised this meaningful competition and their unfailing commitment to local cybersecurity education. Throughout the competition, the participating teams had to identify vulnerabilities in controlled yet realistic computer systems in order to capture “flags” for yielding points. They were tested for a variety of practical cybersecurity skills such as vulnerability assessment, cryptography, penetration testing and digital forensics, as well as soft skills including teamwork, problem-solving and critical thinking. All the competitors were empowered to sharpen their capabilities and broaden their horizon required for thriving in the field of cybersecurity in the near future, where cybersecurity is no doubt an indispensable and professional domain in this more-digital-than-ever world.

The nurturing of cybersecurity talents of PolyU aligns with the policies outlined in the Chief Executive's 2024 Policy Address regarding the plans to "Bolster Security of Computer Systems of Critical Infrastructure" and expanding our professional talent pool. The Digital Policy Office will also continue to encourage the information technology sector to actively support cybersecurity talent development, addressing the increasingly complex cyber landscape, and collectively promoting Hong Kong's development as an international innovation and technology hub.

We also collaborated with professional bodies and organisations such as the Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC) and the Hong Kong Computer Emergency Response Team Coordination Centre (HKCERT), to conduct school visits and gamified events or competitions in form of game-aided learning, comics design and quiz competition. This is to kindle students’ interests and learning motivation, facilitate development of their innovative thinking, and enhance the learning atmosphere, with the aim to develop their interests to pursue further in the cybersecurity field.

Lastly, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to all the organisers and participants for making this event possible. I believe the hard work of prize winners and all other participating teams should have paid off in terms of knowledge and personal growth. I look forward to your continuous exploration and development in cybersecurity domain with passion. I wish you all a fulfilling experience with fruitful takeaways. Thank you.

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