Organisations that have been operating in Hong Kong for at least one year at the time of application are eligible to submit an investor and financial education project for the IFEA 2026, provided it meets the following criteria:

• Launched or completed between 1 August 2025 and 31 July 2026.
• The educational content aligns with at least one of the core competency themes outlined in the Hong Kong Financial Competency Framework:
  - Money & Banking 
  - Income & Taxation
  - Saving & Investing
  - Spending & Credit
  - Consumer Rights & Responsibilities
  - Financial Planning
  - Protection & Risk
• Offers to the people of Hong Kong free of charge.
• Does not involve in direct marketing or promotion of any products or services.
• Is not fully funded by the IFEC.

Award Categories

The IFEA 2026 features three major award categories, classified by the nature of the participating organisations. For cross-sectoral joint applications, the award category will be based on the nature of the primary applicant.

• IFEA (Corporate)
• IFEA (Public/Professional Body and NGO)
• IFEA (Education) includes the following sub-categories:
  - Kindergarten and Primary School
  - Secondary School
  - Tertiary Institution

Tiers of Award

Tier 1: Certificate of Appreciation
All eligible applicants are entitled to receive a digital Certificate of Appreciation.

Tier 2: Investor and Financial Education Award 2026
In each award category and its sub-categories, the respective assessment committee will select the top 10 investor and financial education projects and grant the following awards to the organisations:

• Investor and Financial Education Award 2026 - Gold Award
• Investor and Financial Education Award 2026 - Silver Award
• Investor and Financial Education Award 2026 - Bronze Award
• Investor and Financial Education Award 2026 - Merit Award

Usage of the IFEA 2026 Designation and Logo

Recipients of Tier 2 “Investor and Financial Education Award 2026” are entitled to use the “Investor and Financial Education Award 2026” designation and logo on their websites, social media platforms, promotional materials and corporate publications*.
^{*Usage shall be governed by the Usage Guidelines.}

Assessment Committees for each award category will evaluate eligible investor and financial education projects by the following assessment criteria:

• Content – Ability to address the specific investor and financial education needs of the project’s target audiences.
• Effectiveness – Ability to reach the project’s target audiences effectively, evidenced by performance indicators.
• Quality and Creativity – Ability to engage the project’s target audiences through creative and innovative approaches, while delivering a high-quality learning experience.
• Sustainability – Ability to be consistently implemented while offering benefits and sustainable learning opportunities for the project’s target audiences over a period of time or recurrently.

The IFEA 2026 is now open for applications. The submission deadline is 12 October 2026.

Application form

Please submit the completed and signed application form, with the supplementary document specified in the Part 3 of the application form, to the following email address:

award@ifec.org.hk

The supplementary document, in PDF format, is limited to a maximum of 15 pages and a total file size of no more than 15 MB. Please note that any content exceeding page 15 will not be considered for assessment.

• Application Period: 3 August 2026 to 12 October 2026
• Results Announcement: March 2027

Application

What role(s) should applicant play in the investor and financial education project?

Applicant can serve as the sponsor, organiser, or co-organiser of the submitted investor and financial education project, taking on responsibilities to fund, develop, plan or produce the project.

If the investor and financial education project is a collaborative effort involving more than one organisation, is it necessary for all participating organisations to submit a joint application for the award?

Applications for collaborative investor and financial education projects can be submitted either individually by organisation, or jointly by all participating organisations.

Is it permissible to submit an application in the name of teachers or students?

The IFEA 2026 only accepts applications submitted by school.

Is there an application fee?

There is no application fee for IFEA 2026.

Project

What types of investor and financial education projects are eligible to apply?

A variety of investor and financial education projects can apply, provided they meet the required criteria. Eligible projects may include seminars, exhibitions, publications, videos, digital resources, social media content, mobile apps, research studies, etc.

Who should be the target audiences of investor and financial education projects?

The target audiences should encompass the people of Hong Kong, including the general public, clients, employees or service users of any organisations, students, parents, migrant domestic workers, and others.

The applicant has launched multiple investor and financial education projects. Is it permissible to submit more than one application?

Each applicant is allowed to submit only one application in an award category. Each application form must pertain to a single investor and financial education project.

If the applicant is a tertiary institution and the investor and financial education projects are managed by different faculties or departments, these individual entities are eligible to submit separate applications. The name of the faculty or department must be clearly stated on the applicant form.

• IFEA 2025
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