Sydney - An elite cohort of outstanding Chinese students completing their studies overseas were recognised by the Chinese Ministry of Education's China Scholarship Council Friday.

At an awards ceremony in Sydney, 18 students undertaking degrees in Australia were awarded prizes of $6,000 dollars for their studies.

The awards are made through competitive selection, and are based on academic achievement.

PhD student Melody Xinyue Yao, from the University of New South Wales, said the secret to success is hard work.

"When I first got here in Australia, my supervisor said, a PhD is 10 percent inspiration and 90 percent perspiration, so it's just constant dedication, and always keep motivated, and keep interested and keep thinking about the things that inspired you to do this PhD," said Yao.

The program was established by the Chinese government in 2003 to support and encourage internationalisation among students, hoping that China's best and brightest will return to inspire their home country.

"I'm hoping to go back to my country and become a university lecturer in the field of English language. There's a lot of work to be done in my country, especially in English education, and I think my research and also my background will be able to help improve English education in my country, and this is one of the things that I'm really excited about," said Yao.

For the students' families back in China, it's a Mother's Day present come early.

"My Mum, she's really happy about it. Because I'm the only child in our family, and she has a lot of expectations for me... She's been very devoted to my upbringing and she's always been a great mother," Yao said.