A news conference for the second Orchid Awards was held on Thursday at the China International Communications Group in Beijing. The jury meeting is scheduled for Friday.

Launched by CICG in 2022, the Orchid Awards are presented to non-Chinese individuals or organizations that have made outstanding contributions to cultural exchanges and mutual learning, as well as the promotion of Chinese culture. Its inaugural edition hosted its awards ceremony in 2023.

The second edition received global entries and followed a multi-round selection process, resulting in 30 finalists announced at the conference. Among them, 10 winners will be selected by the expert committee during the final jury meeting, with one recipient for the Lifetime Honorary Award, three for the Outstanding Achievement Award, and six for the Friendship Envoy Award.

"As an important platform for actively implementing the Global Civilization Initiative, the Orchid Awards uphold the common values of humanity — peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy and freedom, facilitate cultural exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations, and consolidate the cultural foundation for building a global community of shared future," says Yu Tao, vice-president of CICG.

This year, the expert committee for selection has 23 members, consisting of a chairperson, three deputy chairpersons, a secretary-general and 18 expert members.

According to Zhou Shuchun, deputy chair of the expert committee, the jury demonstrates global representation, with international experts from nine countries across five continents, and Chinese experts comprising scholars, media professionals, artists and cultural entrepreneurs.

These experts cover diverse fields such as Sinology, international cultural exchange, media and communication, cultural heritage preservation, arts and music, publishing, as well as education and research.

Apart from award selection, CICG actively enhanced the awards' influences by hosting 17 cultural exchange events in 12 countries in 2024, publishing a book featuring stories of 10 laureates of the first edition, and inviting laureates and international jury members to participate in cultural dialogues and field trips.