The Macao government has announced the recipients of its 2025 decorations, medals and certificates of merit, with the highest honour – the Grand Lotus – going to former Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng and ex-Legislative Assembly president Kou Hoi In.
In a statement on Wednesday, the government said that prizes would be presented to 28 individuals and organisations in recognition of their “achievement, outstanding contribution, and distinguished service” to Macao. A conferral ceremony is scheduled to take place at 4 pm on 30 January.
Winners of the second highest prize, the Golden Lotus, included three former government officials: former secretary for public works and transport Raimundo Arrais do Rosário; former commissioner of audit Ho Veng On; and former director-general of the Customs Service, Vong Man Chong. The Macau Association of Banks will receive the third-tier award, the Silver Lotus.
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Meanwhile, a number of individuals and groups are being recognised with medals of merit. They include Chan Iok Lin, the sole recipient of the medal of merit for professionals, and medals for industry and commerce winners Nam Kwong Logistics Co. Ltd and Li Amber Jianming.
Melco Resort & Entertainment’s House of Dancing Water team was listed as the recipient of the tourism medal, while the education prizes will be conferred to the Macau University of Science and Technology, Keang Peng School and Kao Yip School. Culture medals were bagged by the Chinese Opera Association of Terrestrial and Maritime Dwellers of Barra, Macau; Lam Fat Iam; and Chan Iu Pui.
A medal for philanthropy will be handed out to the China International Medical Emergency Team (Macao), while sports medals will be given to the SAR karate team that participated in the 15th National Games, as well as Macao table tennis representative Zhu Yuling.
Medals for distinguished service will also be presented to Tai Kam Un and the Peng On Tung Tele-Assistance Service. Certificates of merit will be awarded to teams from Macao middle schools and organisations for their science and sports-based achievements, among others.
After the winners were announced, former Chief Executive Ho released a statement expressing gratitude to his successor Sam Hou Fai and the SAR government. “This honour is a collective achievement of the entire society’s joint efforts to achieve greater and better development for Macao,” he noted. Ho led Macao from 2019 until 2024.
Ko issued a similar notice, with local media reporting that he was “deeply honoured” to be receiving the Grand Lotus Prize and believed the award not only recognised his own work, but also those who worked alongside him to contribute to Macao’s development. Ko served in the Legislative Assembly for more than three decades, and led it from 2019 until 2025.
More information about the prize categories and past winners can be found here.
