SHENZHEN, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Xplorer Prize, a high-profile science award launched by Tencent Chairman and CEO Pony Ma and 14 scientists, will be open to Hong Kong and Macao applicants starting from 2020.

The prize, initiated in 2018, aims to award 50 young scientists under 45 years old working in the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macao in nine areas of fundamental science and cutting-edge technologies.

The workplace extension will facilitate academic exchanges among young scientists in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and contribute to the area's development into an international science and innovation center, Tencent said in a statement.

The application for the prize will be open until April 15, and the winner's list will be announced in September. Each winner will be awarded a total of 3 million yuan (about 431,000 U.S. dollars) over the course of five years.