San Francisco International’s Harvey Milk Terminal 1 named world’s most beautiful airport

San Francisco International Airport’s Harvey Milk Terminal 1 has been named the world’s most beautiful airport by Prix Versailles, an international architecture and design competition that evaluates major public projects around the globe.

According to the award announcement, Harvey Milk Terminal 1 received the top honor in the airport category, placing San Francisco alongside a short list of terminals in China, France and Japan recognized for their architecture and design.

Harvey Milk Terminal 1 opened in June 2024, according to San Francisco International Airport’s website. The terminal is named for the late Harvey Milk, the San Francisco supervisor and gay rights leader who became one of the first openly gay elected officials in the United States. Inside the terminal, travelers pass through an exhibition that highlights Milk’s political career and his impact on San Francisco, using photographs and historical materials to tell his story.

The terminal’s design and amenities have drawn positive feedback from some travelers online. On Reddit, users have praised the space for its clean environment and prominent art. One commenter wrote that Harvey Milk Terminal “meets and exceeds my hopes for what an airport terminal should be in the 2020s.” Another user described it as “the best airport I’ve ever been to,” according to the article.

Airport officials publicly welcomed the recognition. In a statement shared on San Francisco International Airport’s website and cited in the article, Airport Director Mike Nakornkhet said the team behind Harvey Milk Terminal 1 intended to set a new bar for what travelers experience when they pass through a major hub.

“We are truly honored to be named the top airport in the world by Prix Versailles,” Nakornkhet said in the statement. He described Harvey Milk Terminal 1 as a project designed “to establish a new benchmark for an extraordinary airport experience, bringing to life our mission to put people and planet first.” Nakornkhet also noted that it is, according to his statement, the first airport terminal in the world named for an LGBTQ+ leader, and said that distinction “only enhances the significance of this recognition.” He thanked the entire project team and described the award as a “milestone achievement.”

Images from the airport show a modern exterior with a curved roofline and elevated roadways leading into the terminal, along with large glass surfaces that bring in natural light. Inside, photos from the exhibition space depict museum-style displays dedicated to Harvey Milk, with seating areas, historical photographs and artifacts set within a contemporary interior.

The recognition for San Francisco International comes as part of Prix Versailles’ broader annual awards, which highlight architecture and design across multiple sectors. In addition to the main airport honor given to Harvey Milk Terminal 1, the competition cited several other terminals around the world.

Among the primary airport honorees, Prix Versailles recognized Terminal 2 at Yantai Penglai International Airport in China, the arrivals terminal at Roland Garros Airport on Réunion Island in France, and Terminal 1 at Kansai International Airport in Osaka, Japan. The article reports that the organization also issued special prizes in the airport category, including one for interior design at Terminal 1 at Marseille Provence Airport in Marignane, France, and another for the main terminal at Portland International Airport in Oregon.

Beyond airports, Prix Versailles’ annual program covers a range of public and commercial spaces. According to the article, the latest selections also include projects in categories such as campuses, passenger stations, sports venues, museums, emporiums, hotels and restaurants. The competition positions its awards as a way to evaluate not only how buildings look, but also how they shape the spaces people use every day.

“Each year, the Prix Versailles challenges us to look beyond aesthetics alone and to evaluate architecture and design as a force capable of shaping the world we inhabit,” the jury chairperson said in a press release, as quoted in the article.

The designation for Harvey Milk Terminal 1 adds a new international accolade to San Francisco International Airport at a time when major hubs are competing on design, passenger experience and environmental performance. While the article does not detail specific sustainability features, Nakornkhet’s statement framed the project’s mission as centered on both people and planet.

The article notes that Fox News Digital reached out to Prix Versailles for further comment. Additional details about the judging criteria or scoring process were not included in the text provided.

With the latest honor, San Francisco International joins a small group of airports highlighted by Prix Versailles as design leaders. For Bay Area travelers, that means the region’s primary international gateway is now officially carrying a global “most beautiful” title, backed by one of the architecture world’s high profile awards programs.