HONG KONG, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- The fourth LUI Che Woo Prize - Prize for World Civilization, on Monday announced three laureates, awarding the Sustainability Prize to the Nature Conservancy, the Positive Energy Prize to Fan Jinshi, and the Welfare Betterment Prize to Jennifer A. Doudna respectively.

Lui, founder of the prize, said at a press conference on Monday that each of the laureates has made enormous contributions to world civilization, enhancing sustainability, bettering the welfare of humankind, and promoting positive energy.

"Together, we will go forth in our mission to sow the seeds of goodwill and use the international platform of the LUI Che Woo Prize to help build a better tomorrow," Lui said.

Awarded the Sustainability Prize, the Nature Conservancy, founded in 1951 in the United States, is one of the biggest international environmental groups in the world, alleviating issues around water, land, biodiversity, and many more pressing problems across the globe, through utilizing new and innovative technologies and science. They strive to nurture, restore and protect the ecosystem.

This year's Positive Energy Prize went to Fan Jinshi, honorary director of the Dunhuang Research Academy in China, for her dedication for the past 56 years to studying and preserving the Mogao Grottoes, a renowned UNESCO World Heritage site in Dunhuang, in northwest China's Gansu Province. Her work has greatly advanced the archeological and historical understanding of the significant cultural treasure.

The laureate of the Welfare Betterment Prize, Jennifer A. Doudna is a U.S. biochemist and a co-inventor of revolutionary genome-editing technology CRISPR-Cas9 that allows genetic material to be added, removed or altered in animal and plant cells. It could be the key to treating or preventing inherited genetic disorders, and also help to engineer plants that are resistant to climate change. It has a great potential applications for improving human welfare.

A presentation ceremony for the fourth LUI Che Woo Prize will be held in October this year.

As a corporate titan in Hong Kong, Lui has been devoting himself to charity works, education in particular, with hundreds of schools and other institutions sponsored by him in Hong Kong, Macao and the Chinese mainland.

Lui established LUI Che Woo Prize in 2015, donating 2 billion Hong Kong dollars (255 million U.S. dollars) as its initial fund. Each laureate will receive an award of 20 million Hong Kong dollars (2.55 million U.S. dollars).