At the dinner, Room to Read founder John Wood returned to share his insights on the theme of the Gen.T Asia Summit, ‘Breaking Barriers’, which takes place November 20-21, 2019 at the Rosewood Hong Kong.

In his impactful keynote speech, Wood explaind how literacy is one of the biggest barriers across Asia and how changemakers can take action to make education accessible to future generations. Addressing the issue of illiteracy with optimism, he and his non-profit organisation has already brought the lifelong gift of education to 16.8 million children in 16 countries, with the belief that “World Change Starts with Educated Children."

See also: 10 Philanthropy Prizes That Are Changing The World

At the dinner, Tamara Lamunière, Head of Generation T Asia announced Gen.T’s partnership with Lane Crawford Joyce Group's Luxarity initiative—The R.A.W. Prize (Responsibility, Awareness and Wonder).

Any member of the Gen.T community (past or present) is welcome to apply with a product or service that catalyses responsible consumption—the prize includes an HK$500,000 grant as well as additional benefits, mentorship and access.

See also: Do You Want To Win A HK$500,000 Grant?

The dinner for the 2019 Gen. T honourees and members of the Tatler Tribe was followed by an afterparty in the next room where the Generation T List 2019 Unveiling took place.

At 9:45pm sharp, Hong Kong’s 40 young game changers on the Gen. T List 2019 were finally revealed in theatrical style, joined by Generation T alumni—including May Chow, Pearl Shek and Aaron Lee. Don't worry if you missed the moment, as you can pick up a copy of this year's Gen.T publication alongside Hong Kong Tatler’s July 2019 issue.

Open throughout the cocktail reception and afterparty, our edgy, interactive photo booth was themed with colourful neon lights, where guests had a blast posing with their multiple, pop-arty silhouettes in the background. 

This year, Glyph, the world's first molecular whiskey took over the cocktail bar at the afterparty with whisky cocktails created exclusively for the occasion. Guests were also served premium craft beers by Brooklyn Brewery, alongside bottomless champagne and wines.

Kicking off the afterparty was Gen.T honouree Katrina Razon (aka DJ Katsu) from the Philippines, who started spinning the tunes after dinner with an electrifying set that had all the guests moving.

As a director of Wonderfruit, the uber-chic Katrina sure knows how to get the party started.

Each of the 40 Hong Kong Gen.T 2019 honourees were given a personalised Gen.T List 2019 booklet which was cover-wrapped with their own photo.

The 2019 booklet is the first regional Gen.T List ever and features 400 young leaders who are catalysing change across Asia, including Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Mainland China, Taiwan, Indonesia and Thailand.

If you didn't make it to the party—don't worry, you can see the full list of Hong Kong honourees from the Gen.T List 2019 here.

Be sure to follow @hongkongtatler to see highlights from the evening and @GenerationT_Asia for more updates as the list is revealed over the next few weeks.

See also: See all 40 Hong Kong Gen.T Honourees From 2019