By Alyssa Johnston
Expo Reporter
OSAKA, Japan — Canada’s pavilion at Expo 2025 has been nominated as being one of the best large pavilions and also best at integrating technology into its public presentation.
The nominations are for the so-called World Expolympics contest recognizing top pavilions in a number of categories.
The Experiential Design Authority (TEDA) announced the finalists for its World Expolympics on Aug. 28. TEDA Executive Director, Travis Stanton, says the Expolympics is a competition created to shine light on the incredible talent and imagination demonstrated at the Expo for experiential design that captures attention, inspires, connects, and transforms the way people engage with spaces and stories.
The Canada pavilion is a finalist for Best Large Pavilion (Over 2,500 square metres) and Best Tech Integration. The Canada Pavilion, with its gleaming white design replicating ice floes at spring breakup is located near the entrance of the Osaka Expo. The jagged white structure is eye-catching. The pavilion serves as a venue not only for the public presentation, but also for live music and culinary events. In addition, it has a restaurant corner that serves Canadian staple menu items such as poutine and maple-flavoured ice cream.
The nomination for Best Tech Integration recognizes the pavilion’s use of augmented reality (AR) technology as part of its main public display. The main feature of the Canada pavilion is a large room dotted with white objects that resemble chunks of ice. Visitors are handed a tablet to scan the ice floes and interact with the AR overlay that appears on the tablet. The AR overlay showcases the beautiful nature and wildlife of Canada, cityscapes of major Canadian cities, and the country’s rich culture.
This interactive AR presentation is popular with visitors because it offers an immersive experience, allowing them to walk around and explore the elements at their own pace. And the AR display is strikingly different from many of other pavilions at this year’s Expo.
The Expolympics has 16 different categories, such as Best Sustainable Pavilion, Best Activation/Engagement, Best Mascot, Best Pavilion Team, and so on. The gold, silver, and bronze award winners in each category will be announced during a special event scheduled for Sept. 23.
