Awards honor scientists' contributions

The 2015 state science and technology awards honoring the contributions of 295 research projects and seven foreign experts were bestowed at a ceremony in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Friday, but the highest award remained vacant.

The state science and technology awards comprise five award categories, of which the Preeminent Science and Technology Award is the highest.

The top prize has previously been awarded to 25 scientists, including China's "father of hybrid rice" Yuan Longping, since it was established in 2000. There were one or two winners each year except 2004, the first time there was no recipient.