Expo 2020 Dubai awards: Best pavilions announced

With over 200 pavilions, Expo 2020 Dubai had much to offer visitors, whether it was stunning designs, innovations or entertainment.

An official awards ceremony — held on the eve of the closing ceremony — has recognised the best of pavilions.

The recipients of the Official Participant Awards were decided by an international jury of nine experts in a range of relevant fields. The jury visited each international pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai during the course of two sessions, in January and March of 2022.

Split into five categories according to the size and type of pavilion, the awards recognise three aspects of pavilions: Architecture and landscape (for self-built pavilions only); exhibition design; and theme interpretation.

A total of 51 Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards were handed out during the ceremony, which took place in Jubilee Park.

Awarding participation is a longstanding tradition of Expos, dating back to the Great Exhibition of 1851 in London – the first World Expo. After a pause — during which Expos did not feature awards — they were reintroduced ahead of Expo 2005 Aichi.

Full list of awards

>> Architecture & Landscape

-  Category A (larger than 2,500m2)

Gold: Saudi Arabia

Silver: Switzerland

Bronze: China

- Category B (between 1,750m2 and 2,500m2)

Gold: Netherlands

Silver: Austria

Bronze: Gulf Cooperation Council

- Category C (smaller than 1,750m2)

Gold: Singapore

Silver: Finland

Bronze: Qatar

>> Exhibition Design

- Category A

Gold: Japan

Silver: Pakistan

Bronze: Spain

- Category B

Gold: Peru

Silver: Poland

Bronze: Egypt

- Category C

Gold: Morocco

Silver: Algeria

Bronze: Palestine

- Rented pavilions

Gold: Mexico

Silver: Latvia

Bronze: Montenegro

- Thematic District pavilions - Opportunity

Gold: Tonga

Silver: Democratic Republic of the Congo

Bronze: Fiji

- Thematic District pavilions - Sustainability

Gold: Seychelles

Silver: Cambodia

Bronze: Suriname

- Thematic District pavilions - Mobility

Gold: Holy See

Silver: Côte d’Ivoire

Bronze: Jamaica

>> Theme Interpretation

- Category A

Gold: Germany

Bronze: Organisation of Islamic Cooperation