The bank received this top award at a presentation ceremony held in Beijing on June 24.

Hang Seng Bank received its first Gold Award in 2004 for sponsoring the "Hang Seng Bank - Help The Police Fight Youth Crime Competition". It is the first Hong Kong company to have won a Gold Award in this category.

The biennial China Golden Awards for Excellence in Public Relations, organised by the China International Public Relations Association, is the most respected public relations award competition in Mainland China. This year, there were 18 categories in the competition, attracting 146 entries from 98 corporations, as well as non-profit-making and governmental organisations from the Mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan. The judging panel comprised well-known public relations professionals and academics.

The Force and WWF Hong Kong jointly organised the "Hang Seng Bank - Junior Police Call Environmental Detective Competition" in 2005 with sponsorship by Hang Seng Bank.

The competition, which included web games, environmental case studies and report presentations, received a highly enthusiastic response. The web games attracted over 100,000 entries and over 7,200 participants submitted more than 1,200 environmental reports. The competition was the first large-scale environmental programme organised by the Force and sponsored by a commercial organisation.

Commenting on Hang Seng Bank's award, Commissioner Lee Ming-kwai said: "This outstanding result is not only an endorsement of Hang Seng Bank's commitment to corporate social responsibility, but also recognition of our partnership in promoting civic responsibility among young people to help ensure the sustainable development of Hong Kong."

Mr Raymond Or, Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive of Hang Seng Bank, said: "As a good corporate citizen, we continually look for ways to contribute to society in a meaningful way. The 'Hang Seng Bank - Junior Police Call Environmental Detective Competition' is an example of how the Police and the commercial sector can work together to improve the well being of society. We are very excited that another of our corporate social responsibility programmes has won public recognition."

Young "environmental detectives" get a lesson on environmental protection in Sai Kung