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Press Releases

Unveiling of LUI Che Woo Prize – Prize for World Civilisation

24 Sep 2015

Marks a New Chapter in the Progress of World Civilisation
An International Award Totaling HK$60 Million (Around US$7.75 Million) Annually in Prize Money
To Honour Achievements Which Make the World A Better And More Sustainable Place

HONG KONG, 24 September 2015 – The LUI Che Woo Prize – Prize for World Civilisation (‘the Prize’ or ‘the LUI Che Woo Prize’) today celebrated its official launch, by calling for nominations to be submitted for the Prize from around the world. The annual prize is the first of its kind to make a global call for a combination of a sustainable future, improvements in human welfare and promotion of positive energy.

Around 500 business leaders, academics, religious leaders, more than 20 consuls general, as well as local and international media gathered in Hong Kong for the event. Guests included Prof K C Chan, Acting Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR); Ms Qiu Hong, Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in Hong Kong; Mr Song Ru’an, Deputy Commissioner of the Commissioner's Office of Ministry of Foreign Affairs in HKSAR and Mr Eddie Ng Hak-kim, Secretary for Education of the HKSAR.

(Centre to left ) Dr Lui Che-woo (Founder and Chairman of the Board of Governors cum Prize Council of the LUI Che Woo Prize), Prof K C Chan (Acting Financial Secretary of the HKSAR), Dr Condoleezza Rice (Thomas and Barbara Stephenson Senior Fellow on Public Policy, Hoover Institution; and Denning Professor in Global Business and the Economy, Stanford Graduate School of Business), Ms Qiu Hong (Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in Hong Kong) and guests toast to the launch of the LUI Che Woo Prize

Founded by Dr Lui Che-woo, a distinguished self-made entrepreneur, the Prize marks a sizable step in a lifelong mission to contribute good work and benevolence in society.

The LUI Che Woo Prize will recognise and honour achievements made by outstanding individuals or organisations. The laureate in each Prize Category will be presented with a cash award of HK$20 million (around US$2.56 million), a certificate and a trophy in the second half of 2016.

There will be three Prizes awarded annually, with a total of HK$60 million (around US$7.75 million) awarded to the awardees.

Dr Lui Che-woo talks about his vision to promote sustainability of the world and betterment of the welfare of mankind through introduction of the LUI Che Woo Prize at the launch ceremony

Prof K C Chan, Acting Financial Secretary of the HKSAR, speaks at the LUI Che Woo Prize Launch Ceremony

Dr Lui Che-woo, Founder and Chairman of the Board of Governors cum Prize Council of the LUI Che Woo Prize, said, “I’m more than excited to present the LUI Che Woo Prize – Prize for World Civilisation as a gift to the world. The Prize honours innovation and scientific advancements, as well as contributions to world civilisation and social harmony. This is a prize for people irrespective of their race, nationality, geography, culture or religion. In the face of a challenging global economic and geopolitical environment, my wish is to deliver well-being to people and to create the conditions where goodness, beauty and harmony can thrive. I am doing this by launching a prize that embraces and promotes these values.”

The LUI Che Woo Prize is a cross-sector award and consists of three Prize Categories. The Specific Area of Focus of each Prize Category will change every year. For the first Prize in 2016, nominations in these Specific Areas of Focus within each of the three Prize Categories can be submitted:

1. Prize Category 1: Sustainable development of the world
Specific Area of Focus: World Food Supply: Safety and Security
2. Prize Category 2: Betterment of the welfare of mankind
Specific Area of Focus: Treatment and/or control of epidemics, infectious diseases or chronic illnesses
3. Prize Category 3: Promotion of positive life attitude and enhancement of positive energy
Specific Area of Focus: Individuals or organisations whose behaviour and achievement inspire, energise and give hope to others

Along with Dr LUI, the Prize Council also comprises prominent individuals, including The Hon. Tung Chee-hwa, Dr Condoleezza Rice, Dr James Wolfensohn and Dr Rowan Douglas WilliaMs

(From left) Ms Anna Wu Hung-yuk, moderator, Dr Lui Che-woo, Dr Condoleezza Rice and Prof Lawrence J. Lau discuss how to enhance sustainable development and positive energy of the world at the panel discussion

(From left) Dr Moses Cheng Mo-chi, Dr Lui Che-woo, Prof Frederick Ma Si-hang and Prof Lawrence J. Lau discuss the uniqueness of the three prize categories of the LUI Che Woo Prize

Dr Rice, former United States Secretary of State, said, “It is important for us to be optimistic that we can all do some good for the world. I’m glad to see the Prize is finally in place to recognise someone who has been an extraordinary leader and an inspiration, who can encourage new initiatives of contribution for the benefit of the well-being of mankind.”

More than 1,000 universities, academic institutions and professional organisations will be invited to submit nominations. Each Prize awardee will be selected carefully by a three-tier structure, comprising the Prize Council, the Prize Recommendation Committee and the Selection Panels of the three Prize Categories. Nominations will be assessed by one of the three Selection Panels before being reviewed by the Prize Recommendation Committee.

The Prize Council is in charge of the final decision for choosing the Prize awardees from the recommended nominee list for each of the three Prize Categories. Members of the Prize Recommendation Committee include Prof Lawrence J. Lau, Prof Sir Colin Lucas, Dr Mo Yan, Dr Heather Munroe-Blum, Prof Andrew Yao and Prof Wen-hsin Yeh.

The LUI Che Woo Prize has its roots in traditional values of empathy, perseverance, love of humanity and harmony. The Prize is administered by LUI Che Woo Prize Limited (‘Prize Company’) and its Board of Governors comprises Dr LUI, Prof Lap-Chee Tsui, Prof Frederick Ma Si-hang and Dr Moses Cheng Mo-chi. Dr LUI has injected assets in the value of HK$2 billion into the Prize Company as its first funding to support the sustainable development and operation of the Prize.

The Prize is now open to global nominations from invited nominators, regardless of their race, religion or nationality. The LUI Che Woo Prize has the aim to bring together people from around the world and across cultures to work together for the betterment of the world.

About the LUI Che Woo Prize – Prize for World Civilisation

Founded by Dr Lui Che-woo in 2015, the “LUI Che Woo Prize – Prize for World Civilisation” is an annual, first of its kind international cross-sector innovative award for advancing world civilisation and inspiring people to build a more harmonious world.  It aims to recognise and honour individuals or organisations all over the world for outstanding contributions and encourages the continuation of that work in three objectives: sustainable development of the world, betterment of the welfare of mankind and promotion of positive life attitude and enhancement of positive energy. For more details, please go to www.luiprize.org.

About Dr Lui Che-woo

Dr Lui Che-woo was born in Jiangmen, Guangdong Province, China in 1929. He established the first K. Wah company in Hong Kong in the 1950s. He is currently Chairman of K. Wah Group. Its major member companies include K. Wah International Holdings Limited, Galaxy Entertainment Group Limited, Stanford Hotels International and K. Wah Construction Materials Limited. Today, K. Wah Group has developed into a multi-national conglomerate, one of Asia’s largest and leading conglomerates involving diversified businesses including properties, entertainment and leisure, hospitality, and construction materials with over 200 subsidiaries and more than 33,000 employees worldwide. The foothold of the business covers Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Southeast Asia and major cities in the world. A distinguished philanthropist, Dr Lui has been particularly supportive of the development of medical care, education and hotel and tourism industries. In 2014, Dr Lui established a HK$1.3 billion GEG Charitable Foundation to cultivate in the young proper moral values and nurture their sense of belonging to society and the community.

About LUI Che Woo Prize Limited (“Prize Company”)

The Prize Company is a charitable company limited by guarantee incorporated in Hong Kong. Nomination and its related work are handled by the Secretariat. The Prize Company is led and supervised by the Board of Governors and is responsible for the daily administration, coordination and liaison with the Board of Governors, the Prize Council, the Prize Recommendation Committee and the Selection Panels to ensure the highest standards of integrity and transparency in relation to the Prize are upheld.

The Board of Governors is as follows:

Dr Lui Che-woo, GBM, MBE, JP
Founder & Chairman of the
Board of Governors cum Prize Council
LUI Che Woo Prize

Prof Lap-Chee Tsui, OC, PhD, FRS, FRSC, GBS, JP
President
Victor & William Fung Foundation

Prof Frederick Ma Si-hang, GBS, JP
Honorary Professor of the School of Economics and Finance at The University of Hong Kong
Honorary Professor of the Faculty of Business Administration at The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Professor of Finance Practice of Institute of Advanced Executive Education at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Chairman-Designate, MTR Corporation Limited

Dr Moses Cheng Mo-chi, GBS, OBE, JP
Senior Partner
Messrs. P.C. Woo & Co

About Prize Council Members

Dr Lui Che-woo, GBM, MBE, JP
Founder & Chairman of the
Board of Governors cum Prize Council
LUI Che Woo Prize

The Hon. Tung Chee-hwa, GBM
Vice Chairman
12th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC)
 
Dr Condoleezza Rice
Thomas and Barbara Stephenson Senior Fellow on Public Policy, Hoover Institution; and Denning Professor in Global Business and the Economy, Stanford Graduate School of Business

Dr James Wolfensohn
Chairman
Wolfensohn & Company, LLC

Dr Rowan Douglas Williams
Master of Magdalene College
University of Cambridge

About Prize Recommendation Committee Members

Prof Lawrence J. Lau
Ralph and Claire Landau
Professor of Economics
The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Prof Sir Colin Lucas, BBS
Vice-Chancellor Emeritus
University of Oxford

Dr Mo Yan
Laureate of Nobel Prize in Literature 2012

Dr Heather Munroe-Blum, OC, OQ, PhD, FRSC
Chair, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) and
Principal (President) Emerita, McGill University 

Prof Andrew Yao
Dean, Institute for Interdisciplinary Information Sciences
Tsinghua University

Prof Wen-hsin Yeh
Senior Faculty China Adviser to the Chancellor
University of California, Berkeley