Committed to sustainability, democracy and human rights Supporting innovation and excellence in European museums


The Awards

The two main awards, the EMYA and the Council of Europe Museum Prize, have been awarded continuously since 1977. The EMYA award scheme responds to long term societal changes as well as current urgent social issues, and reflects the challenges, obligations and opportunities which museums face in the 21st century.

An average of around 45 museums apply each year, from across the 46 CoE member countries, with winners distributed across museums of all types, scales, disciplines and locations.

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The Winners

Museum candidates are either new museums, first opened to the public within the past three years, or established museums that have renewed their organization and completed a substantial programme of modernization and extension of their buildings and galleries.

Over the years the EMYA scheme has developed into a series of different awards, each with their own specific profile. Discover them all.

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Kenneth Hudson

About us

The European Museum of the Year Award (EMYA) was founded in 1977 under the auspices of the Council of Europe, with the aim of recognising excellence in the European museum scene. EMYA was founded in 1977 on the principles of supporting, encouraging, awarding and showcasing excellence and innovation in the museum field, particularly in the areas conceptualised by Kenneth Hudson as ‘public quality’.

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Hosting EMYA

Every year, the EMYA Annual Conference & Awards Ceremony brings together members of the European museum community, including former candidates, EMF trustees and judges, partners, and friends, in addition to the EMYA candidates.

If you are interested in hosting EMYA, here is what you need to know.

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Manchester Museum - The European Museum of the Year 2025

"Incredibly humbled and absolutely over the moon to have won this year's European Museum of the Year Award. It fills us with hope when we look at the work being done by museums across Europe to build community and address the biggest challenges our society faces.

This one is for every single one of you who make Manchester Museum what it is - from our wonderful visitors, incredible communities and passionate partners to our amazing staff and volunteers. YOU deserve this!"

Manchester Museum

Our stories

Euskararen Etxea - The Council of Europe Museum Prize Winner 2025

"Linguistic diversity is one of the main characteristics of both Basque and European societies. All the languages in the world are equally valid and equally beautiful, without distinction.

We want to thank the Committee for Culture (CoE) and the EMF for acknowledging our message of hope for the future of our language and for giving us the opportunity to reach out to more people and to go further afield.

This award truly means a strong boost for Euskararen Etxea."

Euskararen Etxea

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Nini Sanadiradze - Kenneth Hudson Award for Institutional Courage and Professional Integrity 2025

"This recognition belongs not only to me, but to all museum professionals who refuse to compromise their values, and to the international museum community whose solidarity was felt during moments of deepest challenge.

I accept this recognition not only as a celebration, but as a commitment — a responsibility to carry this legacy forward with integrity, and to continue defending the idea that cultural institutions must stand firmly on the side of truth, human rights, and democracy — even when the echo is silence."

Nini Sanadiradze

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The Lifeboat operated by members of the Alvor fishing community transports the Silletto Award to the olf fish Auction place.jpg

Alvor Lifeguard Interpretative Centre (CISA) - Silletto Prize for Community Participation and Engagement 2025

"This project of musealizing the Alvor Lifeboat station was something dear to the local community, who had been wishing for a solution for a space and an object that mattered so much to a fishing community that had been somewhat cast aside in years past. They were crucial in preventing, 40 years ago, the lifeboat from being taken by the Portuguese Navy to their museum.

We’re so happy that this community’s work has been acknowledged. The Silletto Award humbled us to continue this line of work with the people of Alvor, knowing that the past can be an important lever for a better and shared future for all."

Alvor Lifeguard Interpretative Centre

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Istanbul Modern - Portimão Museum Prize for Welcoming, Inclusion, and Belonging 2025

"This prize follows the Special Commendation we received in 2009 and marks a meaningful acknowledgment of our long-standing commitment and continuous progress. It encourages us to keep expanding our efforts, deepening our connections with the community, empowering individuals, and fostering dialogue through art.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to our visitors, artists, members, and supporters for contributing to the museum’s mission to be an inclusive, accessible, and inspiring institution of arts and culture for everyone."

Istanbul Modern

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Our stories

House of Music Hungary, Special Commendation, EMYA2025

"Our museum invites visitors to engage with the story of music in a multisensory, immersive way — bridging past and present, tradition and innovation.

We are especially proud to receive this honour as a young institution, and deeply grateful to the European Museum Forum and the EMYA jury for recognising our unique institutional model and believing in our vision."

House of Music Hungary

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Museum Ovartaci, Special Commendation, EMYA2025

"At Museum Ovartaci we are thrilled to have received the Special Commendation by the EMYA Jury. Attending the EMYA conference gave us further perspectives from our European colleagues on diversity, social cohesion and community.

We are honored to know that experts approve of our strategy and our diverse cultural and social activities. Thank you to the European Museum Forum and museum colleagues from all over Europe."

Museum Ovartaci Team

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Korsaks' Museum of Ukrainian Modern Art, Special Commendation, EMYA2025

"We’re proud that the Korsaks' Museum of Ukrainian Modern Art was among the 42 nominees from 18 countries for #EMYA2025 — and honoured to receive one of seven Special Commendations from the EMYA jury.

This recognition celebrates the role of Ukrainian contemporary art in Europe — a shared pride and great joy! We warmly invite everyone to visit us at the Korsaks' Museum.

Thank you to the EMYA team, see you again soon!"

Korsaks' Museum of Ukrainian Modern Art

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Arnhem Museum, Special Commendation, EMYA2025

"We are incredibly honoured to receive this Special Commendation. The fact that our museum, rooted in Arnhem and connected to the world, has been granted such a distinction means a great deal to us. Especially in light of the achievements of the other nominated museums and the Manchester Museum, this year’s EMYA winner.

We feel encouraged in our belief that a museum should be more than just a building housing art: it should be a place where different perspectives meet, and where there is space for reflection, connection, and change. Receiving this recognition affirms to us that we, as a museum, are on the right path."

Saskia Bak, Director, Arnhem Museum

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Our stories

Agnes Aljas, Co-chair of the EMYA Jury, Estonia

To be a judge means having the opportunity to learn about and understand the innovative ways in which contemporary European museums are working with different topics across diverse fields. It can be a testing duty to evaluate different museums from different traditions that work in different conditions, on different topics and with different collections.

As an EMYA Judge, I endorse new developments and strategies with which museums engage. encouraging innovative knowledge and viewpoints that lead to creative approaches and promoting socially responsible museum work.

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Lana Karaia, National Correspondent, Georgia

As National Correspondent, it has been a privilege to accompany and support this journey — by identifying promising institutions, guiding them through the application process, and fostering greater awareness of EMF's mission at the national level. Recognition is never the end — it brings with it a responsibility to continue striving for quality, innovation, and relevance.

I hope this success inspires even more museums in Georgia to see themselves as part of the European museum dialogue — open, forward-looking, and committed to growth.

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Hans Looijen, EMF Trustee, France

The way we navigate through life, pose questions, and deal with challenges—whether they concern our contested identities, diversity, human rights, sustainability, emancipation, or democracy—are all values that collide and find expression in museums, as entities and mediums that have evolved to serve as much more than just sources of inspiration and keepers of our memory.

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