Phnom Penh, Cambodia – The Cambodian National Pavilion has been honored with a prestigious World-Class Bronze Award for Exhibition Design at Expo 2025 Osaka-Kansai, Japan. The distinguished award ceremony took place on October 12, marking a significant international recognition for Cambodia’s architectural and cultural presentation.
The awards presentation was orchestrated by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), the intergovernmental organization overseeing world expos. These awards recognize participating nations and international organizations that showcased their innovation and culture at the global trade exhibition in Osaka-Kansai, which ran from April 12 to October 13, 2025. According to the Cambodian Ministry of Commerce, a total of 49 awards were distributed, comprising 45 Gold, Silver, and Bronze awards, along with four Special Sustainability Awards.
The recently concluded Expo 2025 saw participation from 165 countries and various international organizations. Cambodia’s Bronze Award was the result of a stringent and transparent evaluation process conducted by the BIE. Official participating countries were required to submit comprehensive documentation related to the assessment, including theme statements, design concepts, architectural plans, exterior designs, content narratives, and thematic development. The judging process involved two distinct phases: an initial scheduled evaluation by a nine-member jury at the Cambodian National Pavilion, followed by a second, unannounced visit by the jury.
Throughout the six-month Expo in Osaka-Kansai, Cambodia’s pavilion drew its central inspiration from the ancient Koh Ker Temple. This choice powerfully reflected Cambodia’s unwavering commitment to the preservation of its rich cultural heritage, architectural masterpieces, and ancient Khmer artistry. The Cambodian National Pavilion, categorized as Type B, spanned an area of 300 square meters and included a dedicated commercial zone, occupying approximately 20 percent of its total space. Mr. Pen Sovicheat, spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce, articulated that the pavilion’s design and decoration were crafted to showcase Khmer culture and civilization. It seamlessly blended contemporary design with traditional and modern elements, embodying Cambodia’s resilient progress and development across diverse sectors such as economy, trade, industry, agriculture, culture, and tourism. The pavilion prominently featured a range of Cambodia’s key export products and potential offerings, including rice, pepper, cashews, and dried mangoes, promoting them to an international audience during the Expo’s duration.
Cambodia’s participation in this global exhibition fostered strong cooperative relationships with host Japan and the 161 other participating countries, as well as nine major international organizations. Critically, the Expo galvanized Cambodian traders and producers to elevate the quality, safety, and aesthetic packaging of their goods, ensuring they meet international standards to penetrate new markets and enhance their global competitiveness. Mr. Pen Sovicheat further emphasized that the exhibition broadened Cambodia’s reach to investors through business meetings and facilitated new trade partnerships. It also reinforced economic and trade cooperation between Cambodia, Japan, and other participating nations. He highlighted that the Expo served to introduce Cambodia more clearly to the world as an ancient country with a rich cultural and civilizational heritage, promoting these aspects on the international stage and attracting a greater influx of international tourists. Host Japan alone anticipated approximately 28.2 million visitors to the Expo, with 3.5 million expected from overseas.
Beyond these immediate advantages, Cambodia’s involvement in the World Expo in Japan also strengthened its global connectivity. It effectively showcased the economic and trade opportunities arising from Cambodia’s ongoing efforts to diversify its export markets, particularly through free trade agreements and continuous trade facilitation initiatives. These efforts are designed to attract further direct foreign investment into Cambodia and propel its potential products onto the global market. Concurrently, Cambodia’s international standing and reputation were elevated, underscoring its active membership in the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE).
The World Expo 2025 officially concluded on October 13, 2025, under the esteemed patronage of His Imperial Highness Prince Akishino. During the closing ceremony, the BIE flag was formally handed over to Serbia for the Specialized Expo 2027 Belgrade and to Japan for the International Horticultural Expo 2027 Yokohama, symbolizing the ongoing spirit of international cooperation and exhibition.
