Euskararen Etxea (the House of the Basque Language) in Bilbao, Spain, wins 2025 Council of Europe Museum Prize

With great joy, the European Museum Forum shares the decision by the CoE on the 2025 Winner of the Council of Europe Museum Prize. Selected by the Culture Committee, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) meeting on 3 December 2024, Euskararen Etxea, the House of the Basque Language (Bilbao, Spain) wins the prize.

EMYA2025 nominees are now announced!

Forty two museums are nominated by the EMYA Jury to take part in this year's edition.

We express our gratitude to the nominated museums who kept faith with EMYA in applying and in welcoming the judges.

Stay tuned for more information!

EMYA2024 testimonials by Museum Studio travel bursaries

We thank the Museum Studio for its generous support and to our grantees for joining us in celebrating the EMYA2024 Annual Conference and Awards Ceremony in Portimão from 1 to 4 May 2024. Here are the testimonials the 2024 grantees shared with us!

The winners of EMYA2024 are announced!

The European Museum Forum is happy to announce the winners of the European Museum of the Year Awards for 2024. The winners in different categories under the EMYA scheme were presented on the last day of the EMYA2024 Annual Conference and Awards Ceremony that was held on 1-4 May 2024 in Portimão.

The Sybir Memorial Museum, the 2024 winner of the CoE Museum Prize was awarded during a special ceremony in Strasbourg.

At a special ceremony that took place on 16 April 2024 in Strasbourg, the Sybir Memorial Museum (Białystok, Poland) was awarded with the 2024 Council of Europe Museum Prize and symbolically received its trophy. The museum was selected by the Culture Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on 5 December 2023.

The Sybir Memorial Museum wins 2024 Council of Europe Museum Prize

With great joy, the European Museum Forum shares the decision by the CoE on the 2024 Winner of the Council of Europe Museum Prize. Selected by the Culture Committee, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) meeting on 5 December 2023, the Sybir Memorial Museum (Białystok, Poland) wins the prize.

EMYA2024 nominees are now announced!

Time to announce the EMYA2024 nominees. Fifty museums are nominated by the EMYA Jury to take part in this year's edition. We express our gratitude to the nominated museums who kept faith with EMYA in applying and in welcoming the judges.

In memoriam of Kimmo Antila

Kimmo Antila, former member of the European Museum of the Year Award Jury and Board Member of the European Museum Forum has passed away from cancer at the young age of 57.

As members of the jury and board who worked with Kimmo, we will always remember his insightful judgement of museums, but also his great heart and capacity for friendship.

EMYA2023 testimonials by Museum Studio travel grants

We thank the Chargeurs Museum Studio for its generous support and to our grantees for joining us in celebrating the EMYA2023 Annual Conference and Awards Ceremony in Barcelona from 3 to 6 May 2023. Here are the testimonials the 2023 grantees shared with us!

The winners of EMYA2023 are announced!

The European Museum Forum is happy to announce the winners of the European Museum of the Year Awards for 2023. The winners in different categories under the EMYA scheme were presented on the last day of the EMYA2023 Annual Conference and Awards Ceremony that was held on 3-6 May 2023 in Barcelona.

The Workers Museum, the 2023 winner of the CoE Museum Prize was awarded during a special ceremony in Strasbourg.

At a special ceremony that took place on 25 April 2023 in Strasbourg’s Palais de L'Europe, the Workers Museum (Copenhagen, Denmark) was awarded with the 2023 Council of Europe Museum Prize and received its trophy. The museum was selected by the Culture Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on 5 December 2022.

Applications for EMYA2024 are now open!

The application process for EMYA2024 is now open! The extended closing date is Thursday, 27 April 2023. 

All European museums which are not for profit and have opened or been substantially renewed since January 2019 are eligible to apply. Museums/exhibitions opened for more than 4 years at the time of the application, are not eligible.

The Workers Museum wins 2023 Council of Europe Museum Prize.

With great joy, the European Museum Forum shares the decision by the CoE on the 2023 Winner of the Council of Europe Museum Prize.

Selected by the Culture Committee, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) meeting on 5 December 2022, the Workers Museum (Copenhagen, Denmark) wins the prize.

EMYA2023 nominees are now announced!

The European Museum Forum is happy to announce the EMYA2023 nominees. Thirty-three museums are nominated by the EMYA Jury to take part in this year's edition.

The winners of EMYA2022 are announced!

The European Museum Forum is happy to announce the winners of the European Museum of the Year Awards for 2022. The winners in different categories under the EMYA scheme were presented on the last day of the EMYA2022 Annual Conference and Award Ceremony that was held on 4-7 May 2022 in Tartu, Estonia.

Nano Nagle Place, the 2022 winner of the CoE Museum Prize was awarded during a special ceremony in Strasbourg's Palais Rohan

At a special ceremony that took place on 26 April 2022 in Strasbourg’s Palais Rohan, the Nano Nagle Place (Cork, Ireland) was awarded with the 2022 Council of Europe Museum Prize and received its trophy. The museum was selected by the Culture Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on 3 December 2021.

Statement by the EMF/EMYA on the invasion of Ukraine

The European Museum Forum (EMF)/European Museum of the Year Award (EMYA) is, as are other cultural organisations across the world, deeply concerned and distressed by the attack of the Russian Federation’s army on civilians and civic institutions in Ukraine.

Nano Nagle Place - 2022 winner of the Council of Europe Museum prize

The 2021 Council of Europe Museum Prize has been awarded to Nano Nagle Place (Cork, Ireland). The museum was selected by the Culture Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) meeting on December 3rd 2021.

Gulag History Museum, the 2021 winner of the CoE Museum Prize was awarded during a special ceremony in Strasbourg's Palais Rohan

At a special ceremony that took place on 22 June 2021 in Strasbourg’s Palais Rohan, the Gulag History Museum (Moscow, Russian Federation) was awarded with the 2021 Council of Europe Museum Prize and received its trophy.

The winners of the EMYA 2020 and 2021 are now announced!

The European Museum Forum is happy to announce the winners of the European Museum of the Year Awards for 2020 and 2021. The winners in different categories under the EMYA scheme were presented at the online ceremony on 6 May 2021, bringing together members of the EMYA community including candidates, partners and friends.

The Council of Europe's 2021 Museum Prize goes to Gulag History Museum (Moscow, Russian Federation)

With great joy, the European Museum Forum shares the decision by the CoE on the 2021 Winner of the Council of Europe Museum Prize.

EMYA Book Launch - Revisiting Museums of Influence

EMYA's new book: Revisiting Museums of Influence.
In this online event, Sharon Heal, Director, Museums Association and Trustee of EMF Board, meets Mark O'Neill, Jette Sandahl and Marlen Mouliou, the three co-editors of the EMYA book: Revisiting Museums of Influence. Four Decades of Innovation and Public Quality in European Museums.

Applications for EMYA2022 are now open!

All European museums which are not for profit and have opened or been substantially renewed since January 2017 are eligible to apply.

Closing date: 31 May 2021

Important update on EMYA2020 and EMYA2021

It is with much regret that the European Museum Forum has to acknowledge that, given the current patterns of Covid-19 contagion we will not be able to conduct the EMYA2020 and EMYA2021 conferences and award ceremonies as live, corporal events in May2021 as planned.

A new term with new faces at EMF/EMYA

The European Museum Forum is happy to start the new year with some exciting changes both within its Board of Trustees and the EMYA Jury.

The wisdom of Kennet Hudson (1916 - 1999)

See our History section to watch the videos capturing some of Kenneth Hudson's insights from a lifetime of working to make museums more innovative and responsive to the public.

The EMYA2019 winners were presented on 25 May, at the 2019 Award Ceremony held in Sarajevo

The European Museum of the Year Award (EMYA), organised by the European Museum Forum (EMF), was presented on 25 May, at the 2019 Award Ceremony held in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, in collaboration with War Childhood Museum, winner of the Council of Europe Museum Prize in 2018.

The European Museum of the Year Award has found a new home

On the July 11th, 2018 the European Museum Forum and the Municipality of Portimao in the Algarve, Portugal signed an agreement that the Museum of Portimao will house and host the EMF Office and Archives

EMYA2018: the Winners

The European Museum of the Year Award 2018 goes to the DESIGN MUSEUM, London, United Kingdom. Read the article to discover all the 2018's Awards.