Search begins for ‘boundary-pushing’ Museum of the Year 2026 - Museums Association Art Fund opens applications and ups prize for each runner up by £5,000

News | Search begins for ‘boundary-pushing’ #MuseumOfTheYear 2026 – Art Fund opens applications and ups prize for each runner up by £5,000

A group of people dressed in elegant attire poses with drinks at an event inside the Museum of Liverpool, adorned with greenery and decor.

THANK YOU!
It was fantastic to be a finalist for Art Fund #MuseumoftheYear Huge thanks to our audiences, friends, funders, advocates & supporters, and a special thank you to our incredible volunteers. Congratulations to Beamish and to Chapter, Perth Museum and Compton Verney, it was an honour!

The Guardian view on the museum of the year: a history of the north-east in 3m objects | Editorial Editorial: From teapots to trams, Beamish tells the everyday stories of generations in a way that is unique to the region

Guardian article on Beamish winning #museumoftheyear

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

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Beamish, the Living Museum of the North, won the Art Fund Museum of the Year 2025 for its community-driven projects and immersive storytelling. Despite funding cuts, it remains essential for education and regional heritage. #Beamish #MuseumOfTheYear #CulturalHeritage

Congrats to @beamishmuseum.bsky.social, winners of Art Fund's #MuseumOfTheYear
A great example of how social & cultural infrastructure supports communities & economies
Our framework can help capture that value👇
🔗www.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk/blog/value-of-social-and...

Beamish, The Living Museum of the North named Museum of the Year - Museums Association County Durham institution awarded £120,000 Art Fund prize at ceremony in Liverpool

News | @beamishmuseum.bsky.social named #MuseumOfTheYear – County Durham institution awarded £120,000 @artfund.bsky.social prize at ceremony in Liverpool

Art Fund museum of the year wins prestigious £120k prize | AttractionsDaily - Your source for latest industry news Beamish, The Living Museum of the North has been announced as Art Fund Museum of the Year 2025 at a prestigious ceremony.

NEWS: Art Fund #MuseumoftheYear 2025 wins prestigious £120k prize. 💰
Read more: attractionsdaily.com/2025/06/art-...

@artfund.bsky.social @beamishmuseum.bsky.social

Congratulations @beamishmuseum.bsky.social on being 2025's #MuseumOfTheYear! 🎉

Beamish: Open-air attraction in County Durham wins Museum of the Year Beamish in Country Durham, which recreates life from bygone eras, is named the UK's museum of the year.

Congratulations to all at Beamish.
Winners of #Museumoftheyear #artfund

Open-air 'living museum' scoops prestigious £120k prize www.bbc.com/news/article...

Staff at Beamish dress in period attire at the awards ceremony for Art Fund’s Museum of the Year

Massive congratulations to the legends at @beamishmuseum.bsky.social, winners of Art Fund’s #MuseumOfTheYear award!

A moment for the outfits 💯

Well done @beamish_museum in winning the Museum Of The Year 2025 #England #beamish #beamishmuseum #countydurham #people #history #beamishmuseum #Beamish #northeastenglan#photosofbritain #Capturingbritain #Durham #visit #ukplaces #tram #trams #ukshots #tramdriver #uk #oldtown #MuseumOfTheYear #2025

JUST ONE DAY TO GO
One sleep until we find out the winner of @artfund.bsky.social Museum of the Year 2025! Who is your Museum of the Year? Check out the other finalists below and show them some love ❤ @beamish_museum @chapterartscentre @compton_verney
@perthmuseumuk #MuseumOfTheYear

COUNTDOWN TO ART FUND MUSEUM OF THE YEAR!
Just one week to the Art Fund #MuseumOfTheYear award in Liverpool. What an amazing few months it's been... we're looking forward to meeting the other finalists from Beamish, Compton Verney, Chapter and Perth Museum to celebrate in person 🥂🍾wish us luck!

@artfund.bsky.social #MuseumOfTheYear Dash to all 5 finalists @goldenthreadni.bsky.social @perthmuseum.bsky.social @beamishmuseum.bsky.social Compton Verney & Chapter and each visit forming part of the official @guinnessworldrecords.com attempt to Visit The Most Museums in One Year. 🏛️❤️

Lewis Atkinson MP outside ‘Grand cinema’

Lewis Atkinson inside cinema, overlooking screen and stained glass windows

Printed aged sign, outlining that Beamish has been nominated for museum of the year

Family outing at @beamishmuseum.bsky.social, got to enjoy the old Grand Electric cinema from Ryhope for the first time.

Beamish is one of my favourite places in the world, and a hugely important institution for ALL of the NE: proud to see them shortlisted for @artfund.bsky.social #museumoftheyear

A navy blue tote bag with green and white logo from Golden Thread Gallery, with art supplies, booklets, and promotional materials visible peeking out from the top of the bag, celebrating its shortlisted status.

Say hello to the new limited edition GTG tote bag 😍 In celebration of being an @artfund.bsky.social #MuseumoftheYear finalist, we're running a weekly raffle to win a tote bag filled with exclusive art prizes! To enter, all you have to do is visit the gallery - it's that simple 😄 See you soon!

Congratulations to this year’s #MuseumOfTheYear shortlist! From boosting the local economy to inspiring future generations, museums are key to thriving communities. I ❤️ our #SouthShieldsMuseum!

Delighted to see Belfast's @goldenthreadni.bsky.social making waves just eight months after moving to its remarkable new, twin-gallery #BelfastCityCentre home in Queen Street, nominated for @artfund.bsky.social's #MuseumoftheYear prize. Fingers crossed.

Beamish shortlisted for Art Fund Museum of the Year 2025 - Beamish Beamish, The Living Museum of the North has been announced as one of five finalists for Art Fund Museum of the Year 2025, the world’s largest museum prize. Art Fund, the national charity for museums a...

Beamish, has today been announced as one of five finalists for Art Fund Museum of the Year 2025. The winning museum, recipient of £120,000, will be announced on 26th June at a ceremony at the Museum of Liverpool.
@artfund
#Museumoftheyear

www.beamish.org.uk/news/art-fun...

Delighted that Perth Museum is a finalist for the 2025 Art Fund Museum of the Year—one of five outside London. Home to the Stone of Destiny, it’s welcomed 250,000+ visitors and now hosts a Macbeth exhibition. A huge win for Scottish heritage! #MuseumOfTheYear

Art Fund Museum of the Year The world’s largest museum prize is back – meet 2025's finalists Beamish, Chapter, Compton Verney, Golden Thread Gallery and Perth Museum, today.

Congratulations to this year’s Art Fund #MuseumOfTheYear shortlist! Did you know that @womenslibrary.bsky.social was also shortlisted for Art Fund Museum of the Year in 2018? Good luck to all five ahead of the winners’ announcement at the end of June!
www.artfund.org/museum-of-th...

Shortlist revealed for Art Fund Museum of the Year 2025 - Museums Association Beamish and Perth Museum among five institutions across UK in running for £120,000 prize

News | Shortlist revealed for Art Fund #MuseumoftheYear 2025 – @beamishmuseum.bsky.social and @perthmuseum.bsky.social among five institutions across UK in running for £120,000 prize

Great to see Perth Museum on the Shortlist for the Art Fund #MuseumOfTheYear www.theguardian.com/culture/2025...

Exterior of the Golden Thread Gallery in Belfast, featuring a mural and a "Shortlisted" banner for Museum of the Year 2023.

ART FUND MUSEUM OF THE YEAR
We're thrilled to share the good news that we've been shortlisted for @artfund.bsky.social #MuseumoftheYear !

goldenthreadgallery.co.uk/gtg-shortlis...

Www - mae Canolfan Chapter yng Nghaerdydd ar rhestr #MuseumOfTheYear blwyddyn yma. Cyfle gwych i ddod â'r wobr yn ôl i Gaerdydd, pob lwc Chapter 🤞🤞🤞
#ArtFund #ChapterArts

I started focusing on #MuseumOfTheYear @young_vam’s Dr Helen Charman on @BBCr4today out of professional admiration for her strong messaging game. Ended up totes enthralled by the subject matter and can’t wait to visit. PS I don’t even like children
#womenspeaking #goodcomms

Congratulations to all the fabulous museums on the @artfund #MuseumOfTheYear shortlist - enjoy the next few months, you'll be exhausted but you'll have an absolute blast!

Morning after #MOTY #MuseumOfTheYear Gutted not to win but it was a great night and we’re thrilled for our friends @burrellcollect Also some time in the awe-inspiring @britishmuseum before we head for home!

B.98 now stands proudly on open display in the main exhibition gallery – as an eye-catching centrepiece befitting a 2023 #MuseumOfTheYear finalist! Why not come to #Orkney and see?! @icon_scotland @Conservators_UK @artfund @OrkneyMuseums @OrkneyHeritage @NatMuseumRN

Really pleased and excited to see that the #ScapaFlowMuseum is a finalist in @artfund’s #MuseumOfTheYear 2023. Although I only arrived in #Orkney and set up #HBConservation in September 2022, I’ve still been able to make a contribution to this fantastic new museum. #thread