News / The winners of EMYA2026 are announced! /

Press release - 13 June 2026

The European Museum Forum is delighted to reveal the winners of the European Museum of the Year Awards 2026. The awards were announced at the close of EMYA2026, following a rich programme of conversations, encounters and shared moments in Bilbao, Spain.

Organised by the European Museum Forum and hosted by Euskararen Etxea and its Basque Language Interpretation Centre, this year’s gathering brought the EMYA community together in a vibrant, in‑person format. Nominees, former winners, partners and friends joined us for an inspiring programme that celebrated ideas, exchange and future collaborations.

The 2026 conference explored the theme “Disrupting the Museum: Inclusion for All”, inviting museums to rethink their practices and imagine more open and equitable futures.

The European Museum Forum warmly thanks the 34 nominated museums for their trust in EMYA and for welcoming the judges into their institutions. We also extend our gratitude to our partners for their continued support, and to everyone who joined us in Bilbao and helped make this year’s edition so dynamic and memorable.

See you in Bern, Switzerland next year, from 26 to 30 May 2027, as we come together to celebrate the 50th anniversary of EMYA — marking half a century of innovation, courage and public impact in European museums.

The EMYA – European Museum of the Year Award

Presented by Daniëlle Kuijten, co-Chair of the EMYA Jury

Each year, the EMYA goes to a museum which contributes profoundly to our understanding of the world as well as to the development of new paradigms and professional standards in museums. Within a distinctive overall atmosphere, the winning museum shows creative and imaginative approaches to the production of knowledge, to interpretation, presentation, and social responsibility - all from a transparent base of core values of democracy, human rights, and inter-cultural dialogue, a commitment to sustainability, a practice of inclusion and community participation, and a recognition of conflicts and the courage needed to confront them.

This year’s winner of the EMYA is a pioneering institution that brings together historical and contemporary urban environments to address urgent contemporary questions, including migration, sustainability and social justice. Through its deeply embedded co‑creation with local communities and innovative initiatives that link historical knowledge with ecological action, the museum offers a forward‑thinking model for urban cultural institutions. Building on this work, it sets a new benchmark for innovation, relevance, and public impact in the museum sector through outreach and long-term relationships with local residents. It reimagines the open-air museum genre as a vibrant platform for dialogue, reflection, and action.

Den Gamle By. National Open-Air Museum of Urban History and Culture
Aarhus, DENMARK

A pedestrian street in the 1974 quarter. © Den Gamle By

The Council of Europe Museum Prize

Presented by Ms. Luz Martinez‑Seijo, Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE)

The Council of Europe Museum Prize is awarded to a museum that has contributed significantly to upholding human rights and democratic citizenship, to broadening knowledge and understanding of contemporary societal issues, and to bridging cultures by encouraging inter-cultural dialogue or overcoming social and political borders. The Prize aims to highlight Europe’s diverse cultural heritage and the interplay between local and European identities.

Selected by the Culture Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on 2 December 2025 and awarded at a special ceremony that took place on 20 April 2026 in Strasbourg’s Palais de l’Europe, the prize was given to the Young V&A, a branch of the Victoria and Albert Museum, the United Kingdom's national museum of applied arts. After renovation, Young V&A was reopened in July 2023 in East London featuring three galleries tailored for different age groups: Imagine, Play and Design. Co-curated and co-created with children and young people, the museum promotes creativity for the next generation, empowers educators and offers a child-centred and inclusive museum practice. Its programmes connect design and play with real-world themes such as sustainability, belonging and empathy, striking a balance between playfulness, educational rigour and inclusivity. It also actively involves children with special educational needs and disabilities.

Young V&A
London, UNITED KINGDOM

A view of The Factory’s corrugated roof in the Designing for Change section of the Design Gallery. © Luke Hayes, courtesy of Victoria and Albert Museum, London

The Kenneth Hudson Award for Institutional Courage and Professional Integrity

Presented by Amina Krvavac, Chair, European Museum Forum

The Kenneth Hudson Award for Institutional Courage and Professional Integrity goes to a museum, a group, or an individual – not necessarily an EMYA candidate - to celebrate courageous, at times controversial, museum practices that challenge and expand common perceptions of the role and responsibilities of museums in society.

This year, the Kenneth Hudson Award goes to a museum which has proved an outstanding example of institutional courage in confronting an often marginalised history and challenging the persistent stigma surrounding mental illness. Together with former staff, residents, and local organisations, the museum has been transforming a place of isolation into a living heritage. It exemplifies responsible heritage practice by restoring voice and agency to those previously silenced, while connecting local memory with broader European debates on human rights, inclusion, and social responsibility.

Museum Of Madness Institute
Trate, SLOVENIA

Theatre performance Natural Madness, Artificial Stupidity. Photo: Jakob Vogrinec © Museum of Madness Institute

The Portimão Museum Prize for Welcoming, Inclusion, and Belonging

Presented by Alvaro Miguel Bila, Mayor, Municipality of Portimão

The Portimão Museum Prize for Welcoming, Inclusion and Belonging celebrates a friendly atmosphere of inclusion, where all elements of the museum, its physical environment, its human qualities, its displays, and public programmes, contribute to making everyone feel they are valued, respected and that they belong in the museum.

In this year’s winner of the Portimão Prize, the Museum of the Rural Civilisation of Mendrisiotto, visitors feel free to linger and participate. It presents local heritage and everyday life in ways that support shared exploration across generations, with accessible interpretive layers and hands-on stations that encourage collective discovery. The museum integrates living elements that connect visitors to rural traditions and prompt reflection on the relationships between people, animals, and the environment. This makes it an approachable place shaped by curiosity, care, and shared experience.

Museum of the Rural Civilisation of Mendrisiotto
Stabio, SWITZERLAND

A very young blacksmith at work in the museum. Photo: Pablo Gianinazzi © Museum of the Rural Civilisation

The Silletto Prize for Community Participation and Engagement

Presented by Carol Jackson, Silletto Trust

The Silletto Prize for Community Participation and Engagement celebrates a deep, continuous, and empowering involvement between a museum and its stakeholders, placing the museum as a point of orientation and reference at the centre of its communities, whether these are local, national, global, or otherwise defined.

This year’s winner of the Silletto Prize, AlpenStadtMuseum Sonthofen, is a platform for exchange, co-creation, and shared reflection, deeply embedded in the social and cultural life of its community. It is anchored in a strong educational ethos and a sustained commitment to young people, and connects heritage with contemporary social questions. Through participatory practices, community-informed storytelling, and long-standing partnerships with local organisations and volunteer networks, it ensures that local voices actively shape its work. This positions it as a living community archive, created with, by, and for its publics.

AlpenStadtMuseum Sonthofen
Sonthofen, GERMANY

AlpenStadtMuseum Ordensburg section. Photo: Sonja Karnath © Stadt Sonthofen

The Museum Prize for Environmental Sustainability

Presented by Leontine Meijer-Van Mensch, EMF Trustee

The Museum Prize for Environmental Sustainability recognises a museum that demonstrates noteworthy commitment to addressing issues of sustainability and environmental health. Such commitment may be reflected in the museum’s approach to collecting, documentation, exhibitions, and public programming, as well as in its responsible and forward‑looking management of social, financial, and physical resources.

This year, the prize goes to an art museum, which embeds environmental responsibility across its practice, shaping both its curatorial direction and organisational culture. This commitment is reflected in its exhibition-making and in an ethos grounded in collaboration, efficiency, and long-term thinking. Through its public programmes and actions, the museum encourages reflection on the broader relationships between culture, environment, and daily life. In doing so, it sets a compelling benchmark for how museums can contribute meaningfully to a more sustainable future.

Lahti Museum of Visual Arts Malva
Lahti, FINLAND

he exhibition Klaus Haapaniemi: Voyagers. Photo: Karoliina Redsven

The Special Commendations

Presented by EMYA Judges: Dominika Mroczkowska-Rusiniak and Joan Seguí

Special Commendations are given to museums that have developed a new and innovative approach in specific aspects of their public service and from which other European museums can learn.

Six special commendations were given by the Jury in 2026.

Obersalzberg Documentation Centre, Berchtesgaden, GERMANY

The first special commendation goes to a museum that is both a welcoming place of remembrance, learning, and political education, and a memorial site that critically confronts a difficult past to address the enduring realities of persecution, war, and genocide.

Obersalzberg Documentation Centre

Cern Science Gateway, Meyrin, SWITZERLAND

The following special commendation goes to a science museum that fosters a passion for knowledge and scientific discovery. It inspires the next generation of scientists, engineers, and critical thinkers, and is an outstanding contribution to public engagement with science and to strengthening scientific literacy and curiosity across borders.

Cern Science Gateway

Playing with exhibits in the Discover CERN exhibition. Photo: Marina Cavazza, Julien Ordan, Maximilien Brice © CERN

Tartu City Museum, Tartu, ESTONIA

We continue with the third special commendation, which goes to a city museum developed with its residents. Its efforts to engage diverse communities and build lasting relationships with its audiences are commendable, especially in how residents are invited to contribute to updating the permanent exhibition, helping to show the city through the eyes of its people.

Tartu City Museum

The book “Our Tartu”, published in conjunction with the exhibition. Photo: Maria Kilk

Research Centre – Tsitsanis Museum, Trikala, GREECE

The following special commendation goes to an inspiring municipal museum, which exemplifies how a cultural and heritage institution can serve as a dynamic hub of culture and creativity. By providing its local community with free access to recording studios, concerts, workshops, and open creative spaces, the museum embodies values such as freedom of speech, artistic expression, and democratic engagement.

Research Centre – Tsitsanis Museum

Sensoria – The House of Fragrances and Flavours Holzminden, Holzminden, GERMANY

The fifth special commendation goes to a museum that stands at the crossroads of science, culture and perceptual experience. It invites visitors to reimagine how everyday sensory cues shape our memories, cultures, and ideas, and, in doing so, shows how museums can contribute to rethinking the role of our senses in our perception and interpretation of the world and cultural meaning.

Sensoria – The House of Fragrances and Flavours Holzminden

Everyday life at Sensoria. Photo: Claudia Warneke

Kunsthaus Baselland, Basel, SWITZERLAND

The final special commendation goes to an art museum dedicated to supporting emerging artists and to inviting visitors to experience art as a living conversation shaped by the surrounding community. Beyond exhibitions, it is an active meeting and creative platform, where talks, workshops, and educational programmes foster exchange between artists, audiences, and cultural practitioners.

Kunsthaus Baselland

About the Organiser - European Museum Forum and the European Museum of the Year Award

ABOUT THE EMYA

Founded in 1977 under the auspices of the Council of Europe, the European Museum of the Year Award (EMYA) stands as Europe’s most influential distinction for museums — a benchmark of public quality, innovation, and cultural leadership across the continent. Its mission is to champion and celebrate excellence by supporting, encouraging, and recognising forward‑thinking practice in the museum field, with a particular emphasis on the principles of ‘public quality’ articulated by Kenneth Hudson.

ABOUT THE EMF

For nearly 50 years, the European Museum Forum has been a driving force in shaping the public quality of museums across Europe, establishing itself as a leading voice for cultural excellence, democratic access, and innovation. As the organisation behind the prestigious European Museum of the Year Award, EMF convenes and celebrates the most forward‑thinking museums on the continent, creating a unique platform where new ideas, bold approaches, and transformative practices are recognised and shared across Europe.

About the Host – Euskararen Etxea, Bilbao, SPAIN

Euskararen Etxea and its Basque Language Interpretation Centre are a gateway for those who want to learn about the Basque language. It is an active space for its community of speakers and for those who are working on its revitalisation process. Located in the city of Bilbao, it is a place to meet, learn, listen, read, reflect, participate, smile, fall in love, sing, work, cooperate, enjoy with the Basque language and in Basque language.

Basque is a minority and a minoritised language of Europe but is continuously growing. It is a living, active, functional, resilient language and forms part of the world's linguistic diversity. Basque is also a clear example of the feasibility of language revitalisation.

Renovated in 2023, the Basque Language Interpretation Centre aims to transmit the vital force and diversity of the Basque Language in a bold, fun, and imaginative way, but at the same time precise and scientific. It aims to highlight the role of the speakers and to vindicate the personal implications and the attitude of the community (speakers and non-speakers) in the process of revitalising the language.

Through its programs, it aims to create and reinforce the visitor's attachment to the language, to sow the idea that the future of the language depends on its speakers. Because everyone adds to the Basque language. And that it is worthwhile.

The 2025 Council of Europe Museum Prize was awarded to Euskararen Etxea, the House of Basque Language.