Shim Huan Ling, a second-year undergraduate from the Department of English Language and Literature at Xiamen University Malaysia, won the Grand Champion in the Open Category of the 2026 Hong Kong International Academic Essay Challenge on 9 July 2026.

Organized by the International Youth Academic Elite Association (IYAEA), the 2026 Hong Kong International Academic Essay Challenge drew more than 1,200 participants across five categories worldwide. The Grand Champion title is awarded to works ranked among the top 10% in each category.

The award-winning paper, Code-Switching as a Politeness Strategy in Classroom Interactions: How Language Negotiates Power and Social Norms, was adapted from a final assignment for her "Introduction to Linguistics" course. It connects pragmatic theory with sociolinguistic observations on code-switching to investigate how language acts as a medium to negotiate power relations and social norms in learning environments. 

Shim Huan Ling recalled that she received the result via the organizers’ official email during one of her classes.

“I was happy to receive the award. More importantly, this achievement brought me closer to my long-term goal of becoming a writer,” she shared.