The Baltic Pavilion, which represents Latvia and Lithuania at the EXPO 2025 Osaka world exhibition, has gained high international recognition, winning two awards in the prestigious World Expolympics 2025 competition organized by the international institution The Experiential Design Authority (TEDA).
In this prestigious competition, the Baltic Pavilion won second place and a silver award in the People's Choice category, second only to the Czech Pavilion. The winners in this category were determined by a vote on the TEDA website, where experience design professionals, EXPO enthusiasts, and exhibition visitors chose their favorites over a period of ten days. The Malta, Singapore, and Tech World pavilions were also nominated in this category.
One of the most striking symbols of the Baltic pavilion, Barabi-chan, also earned recognition and a high 5th place in the "Best Mascot" category. The name Barabi-chan was created by combining the Latvian word "Baravika" and the Lithuanian word "Baravyka", while the Japanese suffix "chan" expresses affection and warmth. The mascot itself symbolizes the unity of the two Baltic countries, emphasizing the richness of our nature and the importance of forests, as well as sustainability, which is one of the main themes of EXPO.
“Our entire joint Latvian and Lithuanian team is truly delighted with this recognition! Being in the TOP 5 in two categories among nearly 190 pavilions is a truly great achievement. We are particularly pleased with the silver award we received in what we consider to be the most important category, “People’s Choice,” because the most important thing here is to positively surprise Expo visitors and attract their attention. With our creativity, energy, and hard work, we have proven that we can compete and stand out among the world's major powers," says Lāsma Līdaka, Commissioner General of Latvia's participation in EXPO 2025 Osaka.
The international competition World Expolympics is often referred to as the "Olympic Games of experiential design." It is organized by The Experiential Design Authority, an international organization that identifies the best creative achievements worldwide and gives them international recognition. It is an independent platform that provides transparent, accessible and objective opportunities for companies, creative teams and event producers to apply for international recognition for their work. The competition jury consisted of 32 international experts who evaluated the projects based on their concept, creativity, innovation, visitor engagement, and overall impression.
The success of the Baltic Pavilion once again confirms the ability of Latvian and Lithuanian creative teams to implement internationally competitive and inspiring projects that attract international attention and promote the recognition of our region around the world.
About EXPO 2025 Osaka:
EXPO 2025 Osaka is the world's most important exhibition for promoting national image and export capabilities, addressing not only economic issues but also social issues of global significance. The exhibition will feature 159 countries and 7 international organizations, and is expected to attract more than 28 million visitors from around the world. The exhibition is a place where you can view exhibitions representing countries and regions, as well as combine global knowledge and ideas to create new technologies and innovations to solve global problems. The main theme of the exhibition is "Designing Future Society for Our Lives," while the sub-theme of the Baltic pavilion is "Saving Lives," which focuses on improving quality of life with the help of the latest technologies, while observing high environmental standards. In order to achieve the goals of promoting both the country's image and export capacity, in addition to Latvia's participation in Expo 2025 Osaka, an extensive business program is being organized, offering Latvian companies the opportunity to participate in industry exhibitions, events, and trade missions in Japan.
