BRUSSELS - The awarding ceremony of the Giant Panda Drawing and Photography contest held to mark the 45th anniversary of Belgium-China ties took place Tuesday in the Belgian PairiDaiza park.

Stephanie Coppens and Laurianne Lartigue, two young Belgian ladies, won the first prize for drawing and photography.

"I really love pandas as well as Chinese culture. Winning the prize, I am touched and excited," Lartigue said.

Awards for the total of 20 winners include free flights to China and free tickets to PairiDaiza, among others.

Addressing the event, Qu Xing, the Chinese ambassador in Belgium, said holding the ceremony on Oct 25 had a special and important meaning since China established the diplomatic relations with Belgium and meanwhile resumed its membership in the United Nations on the same day 45 years ago.

Qu said China-Belgium's all-round partnership created a lot of opportunities and would bring more benefits to people of both countries.

Launched in early September, the Giant Panda Drawing and Photography contest received nearly a thousand works within 45 days and 20 contestants were selected as winners.