The "BIE-Cosmos Prize, EXPO 2012 Yeosu for The Living Ocean and Coast" will recognize not-for-profit, innovative projects from citizens and organizations around the world on the theme of EXPO 2012 Yeosu "The Living Ocean and Coast: Diversity of Resources and Sustainable Activities".

The Prize will be awarded within the framework of the upcoming Expo (May 12 – August 12, 2012), and nominees will have the chance to promote their projects at EXPO 2012 Yeosu. One winner will be awarded a monetary sum of 20,000 € (twenty thousand Euros) to fund the development of the recognized project.

A collaborative initiative by the BIE and of the Commemorative Foundation for the International Garden and Greenery Exposition, Osaka, Japan (Expo '90 Foundation), the Prize aims to:

• promote the active participation of citizens, who add great value to the dynamism of these global events, and to

• support the work of citizens working for the benefit of society in fields related to the Expo theme.

The application form and other related documents are available for downloading here.

The deadline for applications has been extended to Mars 21, 2012.

For questions, please contact the BIE at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , including in the title "BIE-Cosmos Prize."

We look forward to receiving your application!

Professor Zhang Xiaosong, representative of Chain Reaction, the not-for-profit organisation winner of the second BIE-Cosmos Prize at EXPO Shanghai 2010, with BIE Secretary General Vicente G. Loscertales (left), Expo '90 Foundation President Yasuhisa Mitsui and BIE President Jean-Pierre Lafon (right)

Photos from the winning project "For Our Daughters"

24/10/10 - The jury for the “BIE-Cosmos Prize, EXPO Shanghai 2010 for Better City, Better Life” has announced that the Prize will go to the project, "For Our Daughters," submitted by the non-profit organization Chain Reaction and represented by Professor Zhang Xiaosong.

Chain Reaction is a private NPO for the protection and promotion of local indigenous culture in Guizhou, China, which aims to empower ethnic minority women, emigrating from rural villages to urban centers, to successfully design, produce, and market traditional cultural handicrafts as a way to help them achieve better living standards and be better integrated into their new urban lives. These efforts are also meant to help Guizhou's urban centers to retain their cultural traditions and unique characteristics. 

"For Our Daughters" assists local women at all stages of their traditional handicraft production, with the program encompassing workstation construction, master artisan training, production training, entrepreneurial assistance manager and online skills training, as well as heritage preservation (training in documentation methods).  For more information on the winning project and jury evaluation, click here.

The BIE-Cosmos Prize is a monetary award of 20,000 Euros given to a selected not-for-profit project related to the theme of the Expo at which it is awarded.

Posters of all ten nominated projects for the Shanghai edition of the Prize have been displayed at EXPO 2010 during the six months in three locations (Media Center, Theme Pavilion, and Future Pavilion).  The  nominated projects were selected out of 52 projects from 26 countries and evaluated by an international jury.

The award ceremony will take place on the BIE Day at the Expo on October 30th, the day before the closing of the Expo.

Posters of nominated projects displayed in the lobby of the Theme Pavilion

BIE Secretary-General and Ambassador Serra with the Registration Dossier for Expo 2015

23/04/10 – The application dossier for the registration of the 2015 World Expo in Milan, Italy, was submitted on Thursday to the BIE.

The Italian delegate to the BIE, Ambassador Maurizio Serra, handed the BIE Secretary-General Vicente González Loscertales a letter of commitment signed by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, guaranteeing the Italian government's support for the project, along with the registration dossier.

BIE Secretary-General and Ambassador Serra with Prime Minister Berlusconi's letter of support for the Expo project

During a video-conference afterwards between Paris and Milan, Ambassador Serra announced the deposit of the registration dossier to the BIE.

The BIE Secretary-General congratulated Expo 2015 S.p.A, the company in charge of the organization of the Expo, for the work accomplished up to now, under the leadership of its CEO, Mr. Luico Stanca.  Mr. Loscertales also applauded the commitment of Mme Letizia Moratti, Special Commissioner for the Expo and Mayor of Milan, and of the Italian government for the project.

From the Palazzo Reale in Milan, Mr. Stanca stressed the significance of the registration act for the implementation of the Expo project and reconfirmed his vision for the Expo.

The registration dossier of over 500 pages lays out the definitive master plan for the Expo.

The registration dossier will be examined by the BIE member states, the Executive Committee, and by the General Assembly for final approval before the end of the year.

We are pleased to announce the nominees for the second edition of the BIE-Cosmos Prize, to be awarded at EXPO Shanghai 2010 (full title of the prize: "BIE-Cosmos Prize, EXPO Shanghai 2010 for Better City, Better Life").

The BIE-Cosmos Prize will be awarded to a selected not-for-profit project that contributes to the realization of the Expo theme, "Better City, Better Life."

The nominated projects will be displayed at the Expo in three locations: Theme Pavilion, UBPA (Urban Best Practices Area), and Media Center.

An international jury will evaluate the nominated projects during the Expo and select one winner.  

The award ceremony will be held on the BIE Day (October 30, 2010), the day before the Expo closing.

The BIE received 52 applications from 26 countries for this edition.

To download the project descriptions of the nominated projects, click here.