The capital city of Southwest China's Sichuan Province is offering awards of up to 1 million yuan (US$125,000) for the best panda-related artistic creations from around the world.

Panda logos, impressive and touching stories about people and the giant panda, and other creations such as novels, fairy tales, cartoons, computer games and films are welcome.

The competition, which ends on December 31, is aimed at promoting the city's image, said Yin Jianhua, a local government official in charge of the cultural industry.

Chengdu municipal government is sponsoring the project.

Chengdu is the only city in the world with a giant panda breeding and research centre.

There are 48 pandas living at Wolong Giant Panda Conservation and Research Centre, and the city's panda habitat covers 642 square kilometres.

In many people's eyes, the giant panda is part of the city's image.

Through global promotion, Chengdu wants to call for the protection of the endangered animal and let the world know more about it and the city, Yin said.

Hailed as a living fossil, the giant panda has been on the earth for 3 million years. Many animals of its era have perished.

Due to human activities and changes in the natural environment, the giant panda is on the verge of extinction, with only approximately 1,000 left.

Since Chengdu launched the programme on June 29, it has received dozens of respondents from around the world, local officials said.

An expert panel will be invited to review and assess all the works before the awards are given.