Germany, Japan and Pakistan pavilions were among the winners at the Expo 2020 Dubai official participant awards.
A total of 51 gold, silver and bronze awards were handed out during the ceremony, held in Jubilee Park on Wednesday.
Divided into five different categories, the awards recognise three aspects of the pavilions: architecture and landscape (for self-built pavilions only), exhibition design and theme interpretation.
Saudi Arabia, the Netherlands and Singapore came top in the architecture and landscape category.
In exhibition design, Japan, Peru and Morocco were the winners in the self-built category, while Mexico, which features a crochet facade created by 100 women in a small town, was rated best among the rented pavilions.
Germany, Oman and Malaysia were voted the best pavilions under theme interpretation in the self-built category, while Syria was deemed best of the rented pavilions.
The award recipients were decided by an international jury composed of nine experts in a range of relevant fields. The jury visited each pavilion at Expo 2020.
Awarding participation is a long-standing tradition of Expos, dating back to the Great Exhibition of 1851 in London, the first World Expo. The awards were paused for a number of years, before being revived ahead of Expo 2005 Aichi in Japan.
UAE Innovates Awards
The UAE Innovates Awards, launched in February 2021 to celebrate innovative ideas in the Emirates, also dedicated awards to the Expo 2020 Dubai pavilions that have showcased impressive innovations in Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability.
The “Best Innovation that Achieves Sustainability” was awarded to the Netherlands pavilion for its Vertical Farm and the Italy pavilion for its ISO 20121 sustainability certification.
The “Best Innovation that Creates Opportunity” was awarded to the Czech Republic pavilion for the S.A.W.E.R. water production system, and the Tunisia pavilion for the P-Guard autonomous patrolling robot.
The “Best Innovation that Drives Mobility” was awarded to the Saudi Arabia pavilion for its inclined lifts and the Sweden pavilion for the Incedo security system.
The award winners in full:
Architecture & Landscape
Self-built pavilions — Category A (larger than 2,500m2)
Gold Award – Saudi Arabia
Silver Award – Switzerland
Bronze Award – China
Self-built pavilions – Category B (between 1,750m2 and 2,500m2)
Gold Award – Netherlands
Silver Award – Austria
Bronze Award – Gulf Cooperation Council
Self-built pavilions – Category C (smaller than 1,750m2)
Gold Award – Singapore
Silver Award – Finland
Bronze Award – Qatar
Exhibition Design
Self-built pavilions — Category A (larger than 2,500m2)
Gold Award – Japan
Silver Award – Pakistan
Bronze Award – Spain
Self-built pavilions – Category B (between 1,750m2 and 2,500m2)
Gold Award – Peru
Silver Award – Poland
Bronze Award – Egypt
Self-built pavilions – Category C (smaller than 1,750m2)
Gold Award – Morocco
Silver Award – Algeria
Bronze Award – Palestine
Rented pavilions
Gold Award – Mexico
Silver Award – Latvia
Bronze Award – Montenegro
Thematic District pavilions — Opportunity
Gold Award — Tonga
Silver Award – Democratic Republic of the Congo
Bronze Award — Fiji
Thematic District pavilions — Sustainability
Gold Award — Seychelles
Silver Award – Cambodia
Bronze Award — Surinam
Thematic District pavilions — Mobility
Gold Award — Holy See
Silver Award – Côte d’Ivoire
Bronze Award — Jamaica
Theme Interpretation
Self-built pavilions — Category A (larger than 2,500m2)
Gold Award – Germany
Silver Award – Kazakhstan
Bronze Award – Italy
Self-built pavilions – Category B (between 1,750m2 and 2,500m2)
Gold Award – Oman
Silver Award – Hungary
Bronze Award – Sweden
Self-built pavilions – Category C (smaller than 1,750m2)
Gold Award – Malaysia
Silver Award – Lithuania
Bronze Award – Colombia
Rented pavilions
Gold Award – Syria
Silver Award – Gabon
Bronze Award – Vietnam
Thematic District pavilions — Sustainability
Gold Award — Yemen
Silver Award – Guinea
Bronze Award — Comoros
Thematic District pavilions — Mobility
Gold Award — El Salvador
Silver Award – Moldova
Bronze Award — Organisation of Islamic Co-operation
Source: The National News