Museum of the Year

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

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]

Art Fund Museum of the Year
Logo of the 2019 prize
Sponsored by	Art Fund
Location	United Kingdom
First awarded	1973 (1973)
Website	Art Fund Museum of Year

History

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

National Heritage Museum of the Year (1973–2000)

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)

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)

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–)

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]

See also

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

References

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. Museums get £100,000 prize, BBC News, 16 September 2002, retrieved 18 March 2008
4. "Awards and Winners" (PDF), National Heritage, National Heritage, retrieved 28 June 2019
5. 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. 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. "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

External links

• Official website
• The Museum Prize Trust