Museum of the Year

Annual award for a museum in the United Kingdom

This article is about the annual prize awarded in the UK. For the Europe-wide award, see European Museum of the Year Award.

Award

Art Fund Museum of the Year

Logo of the 2019 prize

Sponsored by| Art Fund
Location| United Kingdom
First award| 1973 (1973)
Website| Art Fund Museum of Year

The Museum of the Year Award, formerly known as the Gulbenkian Prize and the Art Fund Prize, is an annual prize awarded to a museum or gallery in the United Kingdom for a "track record of imagination, innovation and excellence". The award of £100,000 is Britain's biggest single art prize, and the largest single museum arts prize in the world.[1] The prize and is presented to a museum or gallery, large or small, anywhere in the UK, whose entry, in the opinion of the judges, best demonstrates a track record of imagination, innovation and excellence through work mainly undertaken during the previous calendar year.[2][3]

## History

[edit]

The Museum of the Year was awarded by the British charity National Heritage from 1973 to 2000.[4] In 2001, the Museum Prize Trust was established with the aim of creating a single award to replace this prize and three others awarded by the Museums Association, the Art Fund and the Campaign for Museums.[5] The Gulbenkian Prize, as this was known, was first awarded in 2003.[3] The prize's principal sponsor until 2007 was the Lisbon-based Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, but since 2008 it has been sponsored by the Art Fund.[6] It adopted its current name in late 2012,[7] and the first award under the new name was given in 2013.

Since 2011 the Clore Award for Museum Learning, worth £10,000 and sponsored by the Clore Duffield Foundation, has been awarded for "quality museum and gallery learning with children and young people (from early years up to the age of 25) in any setting, in or out of school or college".[8] For its first two years this award had a separate shortlist but in 2013 it was awarded to an institution on the Museum of the Year shortlist, which had expanded from four to ten finalists.[5]

## List of winners and shortlisted entries

[edit]

### National Heritage Museum of the Year (1973–2000)

[edit]

Year  | Winner

|

1973  |  | Museum of Lakeland Life & Industry, Kendal, Cumbria
1974  |  | National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, Hampshire
1975  |  | Weald and Downland Open Air Museum, Singleton, West Sussex
1976  |  | Gladstone Pottery Museum, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire
1977  |  | Ironbridge Gorge Museum, Telford, Shropshire
1978  |  | Erddig Hall, Wrexham
| Museum of London
1979  |  | Guernsey Museum and Art Gallery, Saint Peter Port
1980  |  | Natural History Museum, London
1981  |  | Hunday Farm Museum, Stocksfield, Northumberland
1982  |  | Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire
1983  |  | Ulster Folk and Transport Museum, Cultra, County Down
1984  |  | Quarry Bank Mill, Styal, Cheshire
1985  |  | Burrell Collection, Glasgow
1986  |  | Beamish, The North of England Open Air Museum, County Durham
1987  |  | Manchester Museum
1988  |  | National Museum of Photography, Film and Television, Bradford, West Yorkshire
1989  |  | National Portrait Gallery at Bodelwyddan Castle, Denbighshire
1990  |  | Imperial War Museum, London
| Museum of Science & Industry, Manchester
1991  |  | National Railway Museum, York
1992  |  | Manx National Museum, Douglas
1993  |  | Jersey Museum and Art Gallery, St Helier
| Jersey Maritime Museum, St Helier
1994  |  | Tower Museum, Derry, County Londonderry
1995  |  | Ryedale Folk Museum, Hutton-le-Hole, North Yorkshire
1996  |  | Buckinghamshire County Museum, Aylesbury
| National Trust exhibition at Uppark, South Harting, West Sussex
1997  |  | Waddesdon Manor, Buckinghamshire
1998  |  | House of Manannan: Manx National Heritage, Peel
| Jersey Maritime Museum, St Helier
1999  |  | River and Rowing Museum, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire
2000  |  | British Museum, London

[4]

### Gulbenkian Prize (2003–2007)

[edit]

Year  | Winner  | Shortlisted

|
|

2003  |  | National Centre for Citizenship, Galleries of Justice, Nottingham[9] |

* Collections, Communities and Memories Community Project, Clifton Park Museum, Rotherham, South Yorkshire
* Darwin Centre Phase One, Natural History Museum, London
* RRS Discovery, Discovery Point, Dundee[10]

2004  |  | Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh[11] |

* Museum of Antiquities, Newcastle upon Tyne
* Pembrokeshire Museum Service
* Norton Priory Museum, Runcorn, Cheshire[12]

2005  |  | Big Pit National Coal Museum, Blaenavon, Torfaen[13] |

* Coventry Transport Museum
* Time and Tide Museum, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk
* Locomotion: the National Railway Museum at Shildon, County Durham[14]

2006  |  | SS Great Britain, Bristol[15] |

* Hunterian Museum, Royal College of Surgeons, London
* The Collection: Art and Archeology, Lincolnshire
* Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wakefield[16]

2007  |  | Pallant House Gallery, Chichester, West Sussex[17] |

* Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow
* Kew Palace, London
* Weston Park Museum, Sheffield[18]

### Art Fund Prize (2008–2012)

[edit]

Year  | Winner  | Shortlisted

|
|

2008  |  | The Lightbox, Woking, Surrey[19] |

* Breaking the Chains, British Empire & Commonwealth Museum, Bristol
* Shetland Museum and Archives, Shetland
* Wellcome Collection, London[20]

2009  |  | Wedgwood Museum, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire[21] |

* Centre of New Enlightenment, Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow
* Orleans House Gallery, Twickenham, London
* Ruthin Craft Centre: Centre for the Applied Arts, Denbighshire[22]

2010  |  | Ulster Museum, Belfast[23] |

* Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
* Blists Hill Victorian Town, Telford, Shropshire
* Herbert Art Gallery and Museum, Coventry[20]

2011  |  | A History of the World in 100 Objects, British Museum, London[24] |

* Polar Museum, University of Cambridge
* Robert Burns Birthplace Museum, Alloway, Ayrshire
* Roman Baths Museum, Bath, Somerset[25]

2012  |  | Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter, Devon[26] |

* The Hepworth Wakefield
* Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh
* Watts Gallery, Compton, Surrey[27]

### Art Fund Museum of the Year (2013–)

[edit]

Year  | Winner  | Shortlisted

|
|

2013  |  | William Morris Gallery, Walthamstow, London[28] |

* The Hepworth Wakefield, winner of the Clore Award for Learning[29]
* Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear
* The Beaney, Canterbury, Kent
* Dulwich Picture Gallery, London
* Horniman Museum and Gardens, London
* Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow
* Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Cambridge
* Narberth Museum, Pembrokeshire
* Preston Hall Museum and Park, Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham[30]

2014  |  | Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wakefield[31] |

* Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft, Ditchling, East Sussex
* Hayward Gallery, London
* Mary Rose Museum, Portsmouth, Hampshire
* Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, Norwich, Norfolk
* Tate Britain, London[32]

2015  |  | Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester[33] |

* Dunham Massey Hall, Greater Manchester
* Imperial War Museum, London
* The MAC, Belfast
* Oxford University Museum of Natural History, Oxford
* Tower of London[34]

2016  |  | Victoria and Albert Museum, London[35] |

* Arnolfini, Bristol
* Bethlem Museum of the Mind, Beckenham, London
* Jupiter Artland, Edinburgh
* York Art Gallery[36]

2017  |  | The Hepworth Wakefield[37] |

* Lapworth Museum of Geology, Birmingham
* National Heritage Centre for Horseracing & Sporting Art, Newmarket, Suffolk
* Sir John Soane's Museum, London
* Tate Modern, London[38]

2018  |  | Tate St Ives[39] |

* Brooklands Museum, Weybridge, Surrey
* Ferens Art Gallery, Kingston upon Hull
* Glasgow Women's Library
* The Postal Museum, London[40]

2019  |  | St Fagans National Museum of History, Cardiff[41] |

* HMS Caroline, Belfast
* Nottingham Contemporary
* Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford
* V&A Dundee[42]

2020  |  | Aberdeen Art Gallery[43] | —
| Gairloch Museum, Wester Ross[43]
| Science Museum, London[43]
| South London Gallery, Camberwell, London[43]
| Towner Eastbourne[43]
2021  |  | Firstsite, Colchester |

* Centre for Contemporary Art, Derry
* Experience Barnsley
* Thackray Museum of Medicine, Leeds
* Timespan, Helmsdale[44]

2022  |  | Horniman Museum, London[45] |

* Museum of Making, Derby
* People's History Museum, Manchester
* The Story Museum, Oxford
* Tŷ Pawb, Wrexham[46]

2023  |  | Burrell Collection, Glasgow  |

* Leighton House, London
* The MAC, Belfast
* Natural History Museum, London
* Scapa Flow Museum, Stromness[47]

2024  |  | Young V&A, London  |

* Craven Museum & Gallery, Skipton, North Yorkshire
* Dundee Contemporary Arts
* Manchester Museum
* National Portrait Gallery, London[48]

2025  |  | Beamish, The Living Museum of the North, County Durham |

* Chapter, Cardiff
* Compton Verney, Warwickshire
* Golden Thread Gallery, Belfast
* Perth Museum[49]

## See also

[edit]

* List of awards for contributions to culture
* European Museum of the Year Award
* Europa Nostra
* The Best in Heritage

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Mark Brown (6 July 2016), "'Unforgettable' V&A wins museum of the year award", The Guardian, retrieved 11 October 2019, "The museum wins £100,000, the biggest museum prize in the world and the largest arts award in the UK."
2. ^ Guy Kelly (27 June 2015), "Who's who on the shortlist for the Art Fund museum of the year", The Daily Telegraph, retrieved 11 October 2019, "It is the largest prize in the world of museums, and as well as receiving £100,000, the victor can expect visitor numbers to soar."
3. ^ a b Museums get £100,000 prize, BBC News, 16 September 2002, retrieved 18 March 2008
4. ^ a b "Awards and Winners" (PDF), National Heritage, National Heritage, retrieved 28 June 2019
5. ^ a b The Museum Prize Trust, retrieved 10 June 2013
6. ^ Judges announced for Art Fund Prize for museums and galleries, The Art Fund, 26 October 2007
7. ^ "Art Fund Prize Becomes Museum of the Year", Art+Auction, 19 December 2012, retrieved 20 December 2012
8. ^ Clore Award for Learning, The Art Fund, retrieved 10 June 2013
9. ^ Winner 2003, archived from the original on 29 September 2011, retrieved 16 June 2011
10. ^ Short List 2003
11. ^ Winner 2004, archived from the original on 29 September 2011, retrieved 16 June 2011
12. ^ Short List 2004
13. ^ Winner 2005, archived from the original on 21 April 2016, retrieved 16 June 2011
14. ^ Short List 2005
15. ^ Winner 2006, archived from the original on 29 September 2011, retrieved 16 June 2011
16. ^ Short List 2006
17. ^ Winner 2007, archived from the original on 29 September 2011, retrieved 15 June 2011
18. ^ Short List 2007
19. ^ Museum inspired by community campaign scoops £100,000 prize, The Art Fund, 22 May 2008, archived from the original on 23 March 2012
20. ^ a b Short list for The Art Fund Prize for museums and galleries announced, The Art Fund, 18 April 2008
21. ^ Wedgwood Museum scoops The Art Fund Prize for museums and galleries, The Art Fund, 18 June 2009, archived from the original on 23 March 2012
22. ^ The Art Fund Prize for museums and galleries short list for UK's largest arts prize announced, The Art Fund, 6 May 2009
23. ^ Ulster Museum wins £100,000 Art Fund Prize, The Art Fund, 30 June 2010, archived from the original on 17 November 2010
24. ^ British Museum scoops £100,000 Art Fund Prize and is crowned 'Museum of the Year', The Art Fund, 15 June 2011, archived from the original on 19 June 2011
25. ^ Four museums short listed for £100,000 Art Fund Prize, The Art Fund, 19 May 2011
26. ^ Royal Albert Memorial Museum crowned 'Museum of the Year', The Art Fund, archived from the original on 25 June 2012, retrieved 20 December 2012
27. ^ Four museums make Art Fund Prize shortlist, BBC News, 14 May 2012, retrieved 20 December 2012
28. ^ Goldsmith, Belinda (4 June 2013), "William Morris Gallery crowned British museum of year", Reuters, retrieved 10 June 2013
29. ^ The Hepworth Wakefield wins £10,000 Clore Learning Award, The Hepworth Wakefield, retrieved 10 June 2013
30. ^ "Art Fund Museum of the Year Award 2013 Shortlist Announced", ArtLyst, 2 April 2013, retrieved 3 April 2013
31. ^ Gray, Maggie (10 July 2014), "Yorkshire Sculpture Park named Art Fund's Museum of the Year", Apollo, retrieved 12 July 2014
32. ^ "Art Fund Prize for Museum of the Year 2014: Shortlist Announced", Apollo, 25 April 2014, retrieved 27 April 2014
33. ^ Pes, Javier (2 July 2015), "Whitworth named UK museum of the year", The Art Newspaper, retrieved 5 July 2015
34. ^ Atkinson, Rebecca (24 April 2015), Six museums shortlisted for Museum of the Year 2015, Museums Association, retrieved 5 July 2015
35. ^ Pes, Javier (7 July 2016), "Victoria and Albert Museum wins UK's glittering award", The Art Newspaper, archived from the original on 11 July 2016, retrieved 7 July 2016
36. ^ V&A up for Museum of the Year £100,000 prize, BBC News, 29 April 2016, retrieved 29 April 2016
37. ^ Museum of the Year: Hepworth Wakefield gallery wins £100,000 prize, BBC News, 5 July 2017, retrieved 5 July 2017
38. ^ Bright, Emily (28 April 2017), Art Fund Museum of the Year finalists announced, Museums Association, retrieved 30 April 2017
39. ^ Kennedy, Maev (5 July 2018), "'Breathtakingly beautiful': Tate St Ives wins museum of the year award", The Guardian, retrieved 7 July 2018
40. ^ Museum of the Year 2018: Introducing the shortlist, BBC, 1 May 2018, retrieved 17 May 2018
41. ^ St Fagans National Museum of History wins Museum of the Year, BBC, 4 July 2019, retrieved 4 July 2019
42. ^ "Museum of the Year 2019: Meet the five finalists", BBC Arts, 25 April 2019, retrieved 26 April 2019
43. ^ a b c d e "Art Fund Steps In With Shared 200K Museum Of The Year Award", Artlyst, 12 October 2020, retrieved 12 October 2020
44. ^ Museum of the Year: Colchester gallery Firstsite wins £100,000 prize, BBC News, 22 September 2021, retrieved 25 September 2021
45. ^ Iorizzo, Ellie; Parkel, Inga (15 July 2022), "London museum wins world's largest museum prize", The Independent, retrieved 16 July 2022
46. ^ Meet our 2022 Finalists, Art Fund, retrieved 16 July 2022
47. ^ Sherwood, Harriet (12 July 2023), "Glasgow's Burrell Collection named 2023 museum of the year", The Guardian, retrieved 12 July 2023
48. ^ Young V&A named Art Fund's 2024 Museum of the Year, Museums + Heritage, 10 July 2024, retrieved 11 July 2024
49. ^ McIntosh, Steven (26 June 2025), Open-air 'living museum' scoops prestigious £120k prize, BBC News, retrieved 4 July 2025

## External links

[edit]

* Official website
* The Museum Prize Trust