HONG KONG -- An exhibition on Hong Kong's participation in World Expo 2010 Shanghai was awarded an international design accolade, a government press release said Thursday.

The Information Services Department of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government said the German-based "iF Communication Design Award" was presented to the HKSAR's Expo 2010 exhibition in the "corporate architecture" category, which included exhibitions and events, as well as communications media for public spaces.

The exhibition was first staged in Hong Kong in October 2008 at the old Central Police Station. It will be displayed for two weeks at the Exhibition Center of the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai from July 1.

The exhibition is divided to two parts.

Special Coverage  World Expo 2010 Related readings:  National pavilions scout out talent for expo help  Children take part in painting competition?to greet expo  Shanghai starts one-year countdown to the largest expo ever  Shanghai Expo China hall comes to spotlight amid frenetic attention  Shanghai Expo to recruit overseas volunteers

One part highlights Hong Kong's "unlimited potential" by bringing out the themes of connectivity and creativity which are part of the Hong Kong Pavilion experience at Expo 2010.

The other explains Hong Kong's participation in Expo 2010's Urban Best Practices Area (UBPA) under the theme "smart card, smart city, smart life".

The exhibition includes several eye-catching design elements, including a mirror-room to symbolize Hong Kong's openness, transparency and infinite potential, a room of interlinking text and photos as well as a fluorescent lime-green string screen that provides a 3D-type effect for the UBPA video.

The iF Design Award, started from 1953, is regarded as a prestigious trademark for outstanding design.

The exhibition was commissioned by the HKSAR government's Information Services Department, and designed by Hong Kong-based Oval Design Limited.