2004- The IX edition of the BIENNIAL OF ARCHITECTURE OFVENICE awarded the special prize, Citta D'Aqua, to Bilbao Ría2000 for the progress made on the River banks of Bilbao andBarakaldo. Bilbao's project was presented in Italy under the title“Industrial Banks - Urban Banks.” The jury gave special value to“the appropriate design of progress and appreciation of the riverbanks, as well as the correct definition and fulfilment of objectivesallowing the former industrial areas to be rezoned.”

2004- ECTP - EUROPEAN COUNCIL OF TOWN PLANNERSawarded Bilbao Ría 2000 for the regeneration of Abandoibarra,Ametzola and the Southern Railway Bypass.

2005- Bilbao City Hall was awarded the PRIZE FOR CULTUREOF MANAGEMENT from the Associazione Nazionale ComuniItaliani in recognition of the efforts to promote strategies for cultureof management in the transformation of the city.

2005- INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF CITY REGIONALPLANNERS (ISOCARP) presented Bilbao Ría 2000 with theAward for Excellence for “driving the transformation process ofMetropolitan Bilbao.”

The regeneration efforts realised have been recognised by severalprestigious organisations:

AWARDSAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Finally, the latest award that Bilbaoreceived was during the Shanghai Expo.The I LEE KUAN YEW WORLD CITY

PRIZE, considered theNobel Prize of cities,was awarded inrecognition of thet r a n s f o r m a t i o n

process of Bilbao.

The Honourable Mayor Iñaki AZKUNA, Mayor of Bilbao graciouslyaccepted the award in June 2010 in Singapore at the openingceremony of the World City Summit 2010.

Finally, on January of 2013, Iñaki Azkuna, Mayor of Bilbao, hasbeen awarded The 2012 WORLD MAYOR PRIZE. It has been saidthat Bilbao’s transformation from a declining industrial city in Spain’snorthern Basque Province to an international centre for tourism andthe arts has been sparked by two events: the opening of theGuggenheim Museum in 1997 and the election of Iñaki Azkuna asmayor two years later.

Motivated by all these awards and,above all, the exemplary transformationof Bilbao, the City was extended aninvitation to participate in the WORLDEXPO 2010 SHANGHAI.

Bilbao, Madrid and Barcelona were theonly Spanish cities invited to theexhibition.

DISTINGUISED AWARDS

2002 – Cities Awards for Ecellence (Fundación Metrópoli)2003 – European Healthy City Award (Pfizer Foundation)2004 – Città d’Acqua (La Biennale di Venezia)2004 – European Urban and Regional Planning Awards (European Councilof Town Planners)2005 – Premio a la Cultura de Gestión (L’Asociazione Italiana del Consigliodel Comuni e delle Regioni d’Europa)2006 – ISoCaRP Awards for Excellence (Internactional Society of City andRegional Planners-ISOCARP)2006 – European Urban and Regional Planning Awards (European Councilof Town Planners)2006 – European Awards for Business Creativity (Unión Europea)2010 – Exposición Universal de Shanghai2010 – I Premio Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize2011 – Livcom Awards (Premio Internacional por las ComunidadesSostenibles) – Categoría: Mejora de los Paisajes natural construido2011 – Premio Europeo del Sector Público EPSA 2011 por su proyecto de“Gestión política basada en el rigor económico y en presupuestos estratégicos2012 – Kirolaren Europako Hiria – Ciudad Europea del Deporte – EuropeanCapital of Spor2012 – Bilbao Arena – Edificio del Año 2011 en Arquitectura deportiva –Arch Daily Awards2013 – 2012 Word Mayor Prize, Iñaki Azkuna