Ten groups and individuals were credited as "The Grassroots Heroes of 2013" at an award ceremony on Thursday to celebrate the extraordinary endeavors of ordinary people.

Tens of thousands of netizens voted for them on the official website of Xinhua News Agency, a co-sponsor of the event. Among the award winners are a group of people who spent 35 years transforming the desert into green areas. Also honored were Shen Changjian and his father from Henan province. They have spent the last 35 years developing, after experiencing a number of failures, a productive hybrid of rapeseed.

"I will continue to realize my father’s dream no matter how hard it is," Shen said, adding that he is now seeking help from specialists.

Chen Pengjun, a photographer from Henan province also won an award after he recorded the last 10 years of his father’s life and edited it into a five-minute clip.

The video was uploaded onto the Internet and played more than 120,000 times.

The ceremony, now in its fourth year, is an annual event.