For nearly four decades, EXHIBITOR has brought you the world's most prestigious exhibit design competition, honoring the créme de la créme of trade show exhibits from all over the globe. And earlier this year, as the world turned its eyes to Expo 2020 in Dubai, EXHIBITOR launched its fifth World Expo Awards competition to honor the most impressive pavilions there, all brimming with inspiration for exhibit, event, and experiential design professionals.

Reflecting Expo 2020's theme of "Connecting Minds, Creating the Future," many pavilions focused on subthemes such as sustainability, mobility, and opportunity. And while a star-studded panel of experiential design, marketing, communications, architecture, and event experts selected the winners in most categories, the Editor's Choice Award was determined by representatives from EXHIBITOR magazine, and the People's Choice winner was determined by popular vote on ExhibitorOnline.com, where more than half a million readers and world expo enthusiasts logged on to peruse the pavilions and vote for their favorites.

The World Expo Award winners featured here represent some of the world's best examples of how design, technology, presentation, and storytelling combine to create immersive experiences and convey compelling messages. So join us in congratulating EXHIBITOR Magazine's World Expo Award winners. May they inform and inspire exhibit and event professionals. Because whether you're creating an immense international pavilion or a small 10-by-10-foot exhibit, it's often about making a lasting impression, and these winners have all done so in truly monumental ways.

best EXTRA-LARGE pavilion
Saudi Arabia Pavilion

Seeming to defy gravity, the LEED Platinum-certified Saudi Arabia Pavilion is an impossibly bold, cantilevered structure that rises toward the sky, symbolizing a nation rooted firmly in its heritage but charging rapidly toward the future. The inclined building's facade sports a fully animated 14,200-square-foot LED screen displaying a hypnotic menagerie of multimedia vignettes representing the Middle Eastern kingdom's past, present, and future. In one scene, 3-D images transform the structure into a treasure box that opens in front of viewers. At other times, the screen becomes a massive activation, during which cameras detect the movements of visitors below to facilitate a series of games.

After descending to the pavilion's lower level, guests are greeted by a 730-square-foot curved screen showcasing pristine Saudi landscapes. An escalator encircled in artful scenography representing 14 significant geographic locations deposits visitors into a fascinating journey across the entire country that reveals the special bonds between Saudi people and their land.

Made possible by a pair of synchronized LED screens with a total area of nearly 3,500 square feet, the aptly titled "Land and People" presentation immerses viewers in an experience that practically teleports them into richly rendered Saudi Arabian settings. Deeper inside the pavilion, a vast audiovisual kaleidoscope (combined with interactive floor projections) provides an artistic exploration into the multifaceted essence of the kingdom, created in collaboration with five prominent young Saudi artists. Here, a massive illusion creates the impression of a heavenly body hovering in midair, painted by dazzling patterns.
Upon exiting, visitors find themselves in one of two suspended gardens. Nearby, a nearly 1,000-square-foot interactive water curtain allows guests to select and display different symbols that represent specific Saudi regions. Finally, before being treated to their choice of Saudi Arabian coffee varieties, visitors find a touchless interactive table in the shape of the nation that offers more than 1,000 different pieces of content.

The magnificent pavilion also boasts three Guinness World Records for the world's largest mirror screen, interactive lighting display, and interactive water feature. "This pavilion is in a league of its own," said one World Expo Awards judge. "The scope, scale, and unparalleled immersion make it the crown jewel of this spectacular event."

best LARGE pavilion
POLAND Pavilion

Deriving inspiration from migratory birds that connect Poland to the Arab world, the timber-clad Poland Pavilion represents a postmodern tree and supports a kinetic sculpture of delicate, fluttering white triangles like a flock of birds soaring in the Dubai breeze. The symbolic sculpture also references the country's sustainable forest management and wood-based technologies being used and developed throughout the region.

Equally arresting, the pavilion's interior continues the theme of warm wood and avian-inspired installations. One of the central highlights of the space is the 13-by-8-foot Polish Table, a subtle nod to the country's hospitality. The largely wooden structure, which also incorporates raw materials found throughout Poland, resembles a topographic map with several nature-inspired microphones surrounding its perimeter. During informal presentations led by a member of the pavilion's staff, the unusual mics (a fusion of Art Deco and steampunk styles) respond to guests' voices, activating beams of light that illuminate the table's various features.

Nearby, simple, stylized illustrations projected onto the wooden walls weave conceptual stories of Poland's place in the world and its many contributions to society. Throughout the rest of the pavilion, visitors are introduced to rotating exhibitions dedicated to Polish poetry, artwork, industry, and more through a variety of engagements designed to familiarize them with the nation's various communities and position Poland in a global context.

Perhaps the most polished and sophisticated pavilion at Expo 2020, the beautiful design and brilliant lighting immerse guests in an artful interpretation of the theme "Creativity Inspired by Nature." In the words of one World Expo Awards judge, "This is a stellar example of how a refined concept and a little self-restraint can send a quiet but powerful message that manages to overpower the sometimes superfluous bells and whistles of other experiential spaces." Another called the pavilion "serenely hushed but positively commanding." The architectural artwork undoubtedly leaves an impression on both visitors and countless passersby, encouraging them to recognize themselves and Poland as integral parts of a glorious, robust, and delicate ecosystem.

best MEDIUM pavilion
SWITZERLAND Pavilion

The Switzerland Pavilion encourages visitors to reflect on the significance of learning from each other to shape our collective futures. That theme is brought to life via a trifecta of immersive spaces that reflect Switzerland's culture, natural beauty, and innovation. But the guest experience begins long before visitors actually enter the space.
As they approach the cubic, mirrored structure, guests step onto an expansive red carpet featuring the white cross from the Swiss flag. Through the reflective facade, visitors themselves become part of the pavilion, collectively building a sense of community and highlighting the impact of each individual in an elegant yet substantive group activity.

Upon entering, guests pass through a darkened tunnel before encountering a sea of fog. By ascending a winding edge-lit path upward, they experience the sights and sounds of climbing the Swiss Alps. From there, climbers become explorers, entering The Schindler Space filled with color-shifting stalactites and reflecting the country's innovation in urban, sustainable, and creative sectors.

Finally, in the pavilion's last exhibit, attendees are immersed in a dark room with 10 barrel-like constructs that catch drops of water as they fall from above. The dramatically lit vessels each represent an element that reflects Switzerland's recognition on the Global Innovation Index as one of the world's most innovative countries. As droplets fall into the wells below, visitors can reach out and catch a "drop of inspiration," conceptually drawing knowledge from the fountains of innovation as they reflect on Swiss developments while dreaming up their own groundbreaking ideas.

best small pavilion
vision Pavilion

Based on "My Story," the autobiography of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the moving force behind modern Dubai, the Vision Pavilion was designed around three main galleries. The first is a room in the khaki hues of the desert, with a large stone falcon bas-relief covering three walls. Over this majestic representation of UAE's national bird runs a short animation depicting the Sheikh's formative years in the desert, learning its dangers and plumbing its knowledge. Transitioning to the next room, guests file through a narrow corridor intimately recreating the tools, notebook drawings, and objects the budding naturalist made and collected in his inquisitive youth.
In the second gallery, a 52-ton marble head of a horse dominates an austere space. Representing one of His Highness' most beloved horses, Dubai Millennium, the equine acts as a canvas for projections mapped onto its stone visage and surrounding surfaces, a mix tape of historical footage, horse racing, and poetry that became part of Sheikh Mohammed's concept for a Dubai where all roads, like ancient Rome, lead to.
In the final gallery, 52-inch monitors line the walls, one for each of the 21 men, women, and children giving their personal accounts of Dubai's transformation. With each testimony, a kinetic table simultaneously interprets the account. The table's 5,000 moving PVC pins, with video-mapping projections enhancing them, form a stream of historic milestones, from pearl diving to building the world's tallest tower, Burj Khalifa, to reaching Mars. The pavilion may have been originally based on "My Story," but the tale is now the saga not just of a sheikh but of a city rising from the sand to the stars.

best exterior design
United Arab Emirates Pavilion

Buildings mimicking nature have a long and prestigious pedigree from past world expos. The Crystal Palace, from the Great Exhibition, the very first world's fair in 1851, was inspired by an Amazonian water lily of enormous size and gigantic strength. Many years later at Expo 2010 in Shanghai, Japan's pavilion was nicknamed the "Purple Silkworm Island" for its resemblance to a lavender insect of stadium size. Still others have referenced beehives, fireflies, and cumulous clouds. But the United Arab Emirates might have ascended above all these with a pavilion that reflects its past and heralds its future. Designed by famed architect Santiago Calatrava, the pavilion ties together both biomorphic design and its own history. For nearly 40 centuries, falconry has been a vital part of desert life in the region, from subsistence hunting centuries ago to regal sporting today. Now, in the 21st century, the birds themselves are more popular than ever, and indelibly linked to the heart and soul of Emirati culture.

The pavilion pays homage to this high-flying heritage with a blinding-white exterior nodding to the tents of the Bedouin, the desert dwellers who long traversed the UAE's boundless sands. Making the pavilion truly soar are the 28 carbon- and glass-fiber movable "wings." Ranging from five to 18 tons apiece and running from about 98 to 213 feet long each, the falcon-inspired wings are more than just an aesthetic novelty: Controlling the massive appendages is a sophisticated hydraulic system that moves them up and down in a slow-motion glide throughout the day to generate electricity by angling their built-in solar panels at optimal angles to catch the sun's rays. When closed, the elegant wings protect the photovoltaic panels from the region's recurrent sandstorms.

None of the specs or statistics, however, can replace the experience of encountering the pavilion itself. Lauded by World Expo Awards judges as "a stunning architectural accomplishment" and "an elegant, unforgettable design," the pavilion houses equally inspired exhibits, from sand dunes brought to life through projected archival footage to interactive elements that visually underscore the importance of unity. And to walk around the spellbinding structure, ringed by 80 trees and more than 5,600 plants, is to let the UAE pavilion take flight in your imagination.

best interpretation of theme
NETHERLANDS Pavilion

Even with nearly 80 percent of Expo 2020 structures destined to be reused, the mega-event's sub-theme of sustainability set a high bar for exhibitors. Still, the Netherlands Pavilion stood out for its self-sufficient, circular climate system that harvests its own water, energy, and food without damaging the environment.

The centerpiece of the eco-conscious building is a 59-foot-high, funnel-shaped vertical farm that grows more than 9,300 edible plants and mushrooms both on and inside it. Making the upright cropland even more eco-friendly was the pavilion's "Sunglacier" technology, which uses solar energy to extract 1,200 liters (nearly 320 gallons) of water daily from Dubai's arid atmosphere.

What's more, the energy to accomplish all this was generated by transparent solar cells lining the roof. Adding to its eco-friendly profile were textiles composed of biopolymers created from corn starch and a floor made from a combination of mushrooms and straw. Moreover, the facade and the external walls were constructed with rented sheet piles, essentially steel sections with interlocking edges. Now that Expo 2020 is over, all the building materials will be recycled locally, the sheet piles returned, and the biodegradable items left to nature, creating a monument to sustainability by the very act of disappearing back into the earth.

BEST sustainable design
austria Pavilion

The Austria pavilion is a series of 38 connected, cone-shaped buildings comprising eight different designs. Set closely together to create large, shaded areas and therefore exert a natural cooling effect on the interior, the cones' varying heights also cause the frying-pan-hot Dubai air to move constantly, effecting cross ventilation and also lowering its temperature. Inside, attendees coming out of the heat immediately encounter rooms refreshingly cool without any need for artificially powered air conditioning. This is due to both the cones' exterior design and their inner lining of clay, which absorbs the cooler night air and then releases it inside throughout the sweltering day.
In addition, trees planted around the cones, a densely greened inner courtyard, and a water misting system work to naturally control the interior climate, reducing energy demands by 70 percent. Departing almost 180 degrees from other pavilions that pack in elaborate energy-gobbling audiovisual displays, Austria has just one screen in the entire pavilion, relying instead on analog tactile and olfactory experiences. In one section, for example, visitors laze on a sculpted wood floor made of stone pine, whose natural scent tranquilizes the body, while meandering through the conical structures themselves is like walking through an austere monastery whose contemplative quiet soothes the spirit. Due to their modular construction, the cones can be rearranged in completely different configurations without any structural change. This built-in flexibility allows them to live beyond Expo, where they will become truly sustainable by simply being reused elsewhere in the Arab world.

best ACTIVITY/INTERACTIVE
Spain Pavilion (The Forest of Intelligence)

Under the theme "Intelligence for Life," the Spain Pavilion explores how the nation's many contributions to science, technology, production, education, and art have actively shaped our world – from the distant past to our collective future. After exploring Spain's historical ties to Arab culture, engaging with an interactive art installation by Daniel Canogar, and viewing a poetic film, visitors find themselves in The Forest of Intelligence. The metaphorical microcosm is an enchanted expanse dotted with glowing timbers, verdant-green graphics, and illuminated leaves that flutter away as guests walk past. Spheres filled with an algal-like liquid bubble, holographic birds take flight, and underfoot estuaries teem with fish. Unobtrusive displays explain how innovative Spanish projects are paving the way toward a better future, spotlighting everything from solar-energy solutions and effective wind farms to sustainable staples of a traditional Spanish diet.

But this beautiful biome is just as susceptible to our actions as its connatural counterparts. After engaging with the interactive elements and learning how advances in environmentally friendly approaches can protect our planet – amid faux trees embedded with glowing crystal spheres and coated in a special material that absorbs CO2 – visitors arrive at the so-called "Tree of Balance." The arboreal installation reacts to visitors' responses to questions about their daily habits and practices. If guests demonstrate sustainable choices, the forest continues emitting a healthy, emerald-green aura. But when participants' responses disrespect the environment, the leaves of the tree wither, and the Forest of Intelligence is cast with crimson hues. "The way the space envelopes attendees while also responding to their presence is pure multimedia magic," said one World Expo Awards judge.

Among the most immersive and experiential spaces at Expo 2020, The Forest of Intelligence imbues attendees with the knowledge to make informed, eco-friendly decisions, while providing real-time feedback on how individual choices can have a collectively catastrophic effect. And that's the kind of intelligence that literally and figuratively promotes a better life for us all.

BEST presentation
Kazakhstan Pavilion (AI-Controlled Flight)

Every day at Expo 2020 more than 150 robots could be spotted crisscrossing the grounds and interacting with visitors from around the world. But the most impressive non-human may be the one that never left the Kazakhstan pavilion.

While most depictions of artificial intelligence view it as a showdown of enemies, Kazakhstan's thrilling demo positioned it as a dance between partners, a ballet of art and automation. Extending the Expo's slogan, "Connecting Minds, Creating the Future," to include cybernetic consciousness, the presentation begins with a NASA-like countdown on a 270-degree screen, ending with an elegant dancer emerging from beneath a floor in the darkened room. A giant robotic hand, with dimensions on the scale of a Transformer's limb, glides toward the solitary dancer. "Is it possible," asks the voice of a narrator, "to create an ... ideal relationship between mankind and new technology?"

And so begins an exquisitely choreographed dance in which robot and human mirror each other's actions as if discovering a common language of movement – bending, twisting, then rushing toward each other. While the screen plays futuristic visuals of onrushing asteroids and soaring cities in the air, the dancer mounts the swooping hand like a magic carpet, both spinning and whirling in a way that required them to be perfectly in sync, signifying that the future of robots and humans can be less Terminator and Sarah Conner and more Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

best use of technology
Al Wasl Plaza (Dome Projection)

From St. Peter's Basilica to the Taj Mahal, ancient domes have captivated our imagination like few structures can, their round shapes suggesting a swirl of eternity. But the Al Wasl Plaza and its signature dome have brought these hemispherical structures into a new era of stunning technology and design. While the plaza and the dome's dimensions are staggering – the Leaning Tower of Pisa could fit inside the 221-foot-tall dome, a football field is substantially shorter than its 427-foot diameter, and it encloses a space equal to almost 300 Olympic-size swimming pools – it is the audiovisual technology that truly astounds.
A total of 252 Christie D4K40-RGB laser projectors were installed in 42 projector pods situated around the dome's inside perimeter. Each of the pods, which are large enough to hold a compact car, have glass fronts and are air-conditioned to shield the projectors from Dubai's extreme heat and dust. Controlling the projectors is the Christie Conductor, a monitoring and control software capable of automatically powering up or shutting down the projectors, as well as updating firmware and performing vital equipment health checks. If the visual aspects and technical specs are impressive, the resulting experience for the throngs of attendees – the plaza can accommodate up to 10,000 people – is enchanting. The dome's trellis structure is infilled with fabric panels, permitting air to circulate freely and causing sound to emanate from everywhere all at once. The textile panels double as a colossal projection surface, turning the space into a kind of IMAX theater of almost unimaginable proportions. Nightly shows entrance spectators with the dome's imagery forming a spectacular environ for live performers wielding colossal props such as inflatable orbs that render the expanse an epic galaxy of life, light, and sound. Meanwhile, projected footage runs the gamut from colorful, prismatic patterns conjuring stained-glass cathedral windows to undersea animations that transport audiences from the desert of Dubai to the depths of the ocean. Destined to be a signature part of Expo 2020's physical legacy, like the Eiffel Tower, Space Needle, and the China Pavilion have become for their respective expos, the Al Wasl Plaza and dome have hosted audiences rocking to the music of Coldplay and Alicia Keys, as well as gaping at blizzards of projected snow at Christmas time, erasing the line between technology and magic.

best exhibit/display
opportunity PAVILION

One of three pavilions representing the subthemes of Expo 2020 (alongside mobility and sustainability), the Opportunity Pavilion examines how to unlock the potential of individuals and communities, highlighting that each has a role to play in creating positive change. Dubbed "Mission Possible," the pavilion encapsulates the idea that anything is possible with a small step.
Visitors choose one of three tracks: water, energy, or food. Each tells the story of a change agent. The water track is narrated by Abel Cruz, who invented and installed fog nets that harvest rainwater from the humid air, which is then used by his community in Lima, Peru. The food track relays how Mariam Al Juneibi promotes sustainable, organic farming and healthy eating practices. And the energy track follows Mama Fatma, a master trainer who teaches women to install solar panels to create sustainable energy in Zanzibar, where less than 4 percent of the population has access to electricity. Through beautifully produced video footage, playful interactives, and immersive scenography, the pavilion showcases how everyday people have enacted seemingly impossible missions.

After the three individual tracks reunite, visitors exit through the Inverted Forest, where they are encouraged to see the world differently than they had before entering the pavilion. In this space, with a gigantic cloud surrounded by interactive touchscreens, guests are invited to become agents of change themselves by pledging to make their own contributions to help achieve the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. Their pledges then appear as text floating in the upside-down rivers, graphically showing that the number willing to work toward change is less of a trickle and more of a deluge. "This is a perfect example of how conceptual experiential design can create transformative spaces that stimulate education, inspiration, and action in powerful and memorable ways," said one World Expo Awards judge.

The surreal space, with a day-to-night cycle of theatrical lighting and a ceiling of real moss and faux rivers flowing with individuals' pledges, allows visitors a moment of reflection before rejoining the right-side-up world of Expo 2020. And in that moment of reflection – and introspection – everything seems truly possible.

elements and details
Italy Pavilion (3D-Printed David Statue)

"With an apple, I will astonish Paris," the painter Cezanne once declared. Likewise, with its painstaking copy of Michelangelo's David, Italy astounded Expo 2020. It was almost as arduous a task as the three-year process the Renaissance artist undertook to carve the original 17-foot-tall tour de force: scanning more than 100,000 data points on the five-century-old David, capturing details such as its model's lazy eye, the toe smashed off in a 1991 attack, and even microfractures in the ankles. Next, it took another 10 days to print out the duplicate in 14 separate acrylic resin pieces, which required two more months of labor by skilled artisans in Florence fitting them together, then covering the statue in a marble powder, subtly reproducing the wear and tear of dust, acid rain, and the telltale marks of the different tools used to mold David from mere marble to meticulous masterpiece. The exacting work resulted in a point-for-point replica, flaws and all, that weighed just 10 percent of the original. Encased in a chamber dubbed the Theater of Memory, David was surrounded by more than 2.6 million mosaic tiles crafted by master mosaicists from Sicily. If the statue itself is a perfect copy of the original, the viewing experience is anything but. Instead of encountering it from the bottom up as thousands have since the early 16th century, visitors experience it from the head down, allowing them to get face-to-face with genius. The microscopic detail may have lived up to Michelangelo's own definition of excellence: "Trifles make perfection, but perfection is no trifle."

editor's choice
germany Pavilion

Germany has world expo pavilions down to a science, and it shows. Dubbed Campus Germany, the university-inspired space takes guests on a journey from enrollment to graduation while offering up a master class on the power of edutainment. After enrolling (i.e., entering personal contact information), visitors receive a personalized name badge, much like a campus ID. But this inconspicuous device is more than meets the eye, as it conceals a built-in transmitter that enables the pavilion's digital signage to greet each visitor by name and serve up info in the language he or she selected during enrollment. The attendee journey begins with a brief presentation in a classroom-like setting, as a presenter assumes the role of professor and introduces the concept of Anthropocene, the era of human impact. At the presentation's conclusion, a hidden door swings open, and guests move into the Welcome Hall, a monochromatic room filled with 10,000 yellow balls. After taking a dip in the ball pit, visitors can select a ball and drop it into a kiosk to activate facts and figures about Germany's eco-friendly actions. From there, guests encounter three curriculum areas. In the Energy Lab, interactive exhibits spotlight potential sources of sustainable power, including one station where guests grab a handlebar and virtually control an on-screen kite, referencing a new approach to wind energy that employs kite-based systems. Next, in the Future City Lab, visitors become part of an all-encompassing urban landscape and explore innovations for the cities of tomorrow. Finally, the Biodiversity Lab invites guests to experience the beauty and vulnerability of nature beneath a kinetic installation of suspended screens. The culmination of Campus Germany takes place in Graduation Hall, where "graduates" are seated on swings while orbs of light form constellations and immersive on-screen content underscores that if people join forces – by swinging together, for example – they can achieve the impossible. By fusing education, entertainment, and countless engaging activities, Campus Germany succeeds in creating a pavilion that could easily rival the world's most exceptional science museums, leaving guests with new information to consider and experiences they'll never forget.

people's choice
peru Pavilion

Wrapped in a bold textile featuring ancient patterns and symbols, the Peru Pavilion positions the country as a nation rich in wisdom, culture, history, and biodiversity. Comprising audiovisual installations that take guests to the top of the Peruvian Andes and deep into a rainforest complete with a waterfall, the pavilion also features touchless interactive tables that dive deeper into the history of the South American sanctuary. Visitors enter the structure by crossing a rope bridge that represents an iconic Peruvian bridge that has been rebuilt annually for hundreds of years. From there, they encounter a variety of exhibits represented by the same symbols on the pavilion's fabric facade, with each explaining another chapter of the "Timeless Peru" story.

The Cradle of Food Zone is a journey through Peru's gastronomical heritage and illustrates why the nation is known as "The World's Superfood Pantry." Next, in The Creativity Zone, visitors experience the talent and ingenuity of Peruvian artisans through five stations displaying traditional handicrafts such as painted glass, embroidery, jewelry, and pottery. Earning votes from roughly 10 percent of the more than 550,000 visitors who logged onto ExhibitorOnline.com to choose their favorite pavilion, Peru proved itself to be among the most popular attractions at Expo 2020.