Locals and expatriates who have made special contributions to the city through voluntary work will be able to receive a mayor's award, the city's youth league and volunteers' association announced yesterday at the Children's Palace.

The association officially started selecting candidates for the honor yesterday at a ceremony marking Shenzhen Volunteers' Day. The award will be the first mayor's award for the city's 150,000-plus volunteers.

While eligible locals have to have been a volunteer for at least five years and have completed at least 2,000 hours' voluntary work, expatriates and volunteers from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan will be entitled to lower thresholds to "expand the scope of selection," officials with the association said at the ceremony attended by some 1,000 volunteers.

Mai Huiwen, a volunteer from Shenzhen University, said he was confident that he would one day win the award. "I regard it as a top honor for the volunteers," said Mai, who is board director of the university's 2,000-strong volunteer team.

The third-year chemistry student, who has served over 200 hours, said: "Helping others makes me happy. Through our work people will find that Shenzhen is not what some people call 'a city without feeling,' but a city with love."

Together with other volunteers, Mai pledged support for the 2011 Universiade.

Shenzhen began observing Volunteers' Day last year to mark the contributions of volunteers. The day falls on every March 5, "Learn from Lei Feng" Day, named after a late soldier who helped the needy.

During an earlier interview with the Shenzhen Special Zone Daily, national political adviser Li Hanqiu said Volunteers' Day should be observed nationwide and he will present a related proposal to the Chinese People's Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

Editor: Yan