With great joy, the European Museum Forum shares the decision by the CoE on the 2026 Winner of the Council of Europe Museum Prize.
Selected by the Culture Committee, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) meeting on 2 December 2025, Young V&A (London, United Kingdom) wins the prize.
Developed with children and young people, Young V&A fosters creativity, supports educators, and champions an inclusive, child‑focused museum practice. Its programmes link design and play to themes like sustainability, belonging, and empathy, balancing fun with educational depth. Children with special educational needs and disabilities are actively included.
According to the committee representative for the Museum Prize, Luz Martínez Seijo (Spain, SOC): “The Young V&A Museum is a clearly outstanding museum in terms of its mission to engage visitors with the themes of human rights, equality, participation and cultural democracy. It conveys a strong message of empowerment of young generations, particularly those from deprived areas who may have limited contact with mainstream and institutional cultural offerings, with experiences that can help them embrace the future with confidence and participate fully in democratic societies.”
We reached out to Young V&A following the decision, and Dr. Helen Charman FRSA MA Dip, Director of Learning, National Programmes and Young V&A, shared her reflections on the award: "We are hugely honoured and delighted to receive this prestigious award, in recognition of Young V&A's commitment to the creative lives and agency of children and young people today, in which advocacy for young voice is more important than ever. This award signifies and strengthens the vital role of YV&A as a place where all young visitors and their families are warmly welcomed, inspired and empowered to become active citizens who are creatively confident. Our heartfelt thanks to the Council of Europe."
Being an important part of the European Museum of the Year Award scheme, the Council of Europe Museum Prize is awarded to a museum which puts particular emphasis on European perspectives and the interplay between local and European identities, on a commitment to and presentation of key value of democracy, human rights, intercultural dialogue, of bridging cultures and overcoming social and political borders. For more information on the Council of Europe Museum Prize please visit the Awards section of our website.
The 2026 winners in other categories will be announced at the EMYA2026 Annual Conference and Awards Ceremony that will take place in Bilbao from 10 to 14 June 2026. More information on the EMYA2026 Annual Conference and Awards Ceremony can be found here.
You can read below the full announcement by the Council of Europe.
Council of Europe announcement - 02.12.2025
The 2026 Council of Europe Museum Prize has been awarded to the Young Victoria & Albert Museum, United Kingdom. The museum was selected by the Culture Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), meeting today in Paris.
The Young V&A Museum is a branch of the Victoria and Albert Museum, the United Kingdom's national museum of applied arts. After renovation, it 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, it promotes creativity for the next generation, empowers educators and offers a child-centered 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.
According to the committee representative for the Museum Prize, Luz Martínez Seijo (Spain, SOC): “The Young V&A Museum is a clearly outstanding museum in terms of its mission to engage visitors with the themes of human rights, equality, participation and cultural democracy. It conveys a strong message of empowerment of young generations, particularly those from deprived areas who may have limited contact with mainstream and institutional cultural offerings, with experiences that can help them embrace the future with confidence and participate fully in democratic societies.”
The Prize will be awarded at a special ceremony in Strasbourg during the April plenary session of PACE (20-24 April 2026).
The Council of Europe Museum Prize has been awarded annually since 1977 to a museum judged to have made a significant contribution to the understanding of European cultural heritage, the promotion of respect for human rights and democracy, bridging cultures, overcoming social and political borders, broadening visitors' knowledge and understanding of contemporary societal issues and exploring ideas of democratic citizenship.
The prize forms part of the European Museum of the Year Awards (EMYA). Recent winners of the prize include Euskararen Etxea, the House of Basque Language, in Bilbao, Spain (2025); the Sybir Memorial Museum in Bialystok, Poland (2024); the Workers Museum in Copenhagen, Denmark (2023); Nano Nagle Place in Cork, Ireland (2022); and the Gulag History Museum in Moscow, Russian Federation (2021).
Source:
https://pace.coe.int/en/news/10127
https://pace.coe.int/en/pages/museumprize
