Hit the North! Manchester Museum wins the 2025 European Museum of the Year Award

The Manchester Museum has collected this year’s apical honour astatine nan European Museum of nan Year Awards, which were presented connected nan past time of nan EMYA2025 Conference successful Poland astatine nan Sybir Memorial Museum successful Białystok.

On a self-proclaimed ngo to go nan “most inclusive, imaginative, and caring, depository you’ll ever see,” nan Manchester Museum was awarded nan prize successful a twelvemonth focused connected “Remembrance and Solidarity for Collective Action”.  

Part of nan University of Manchester, this earthy history depository was established successful 1867 and boasts a postulation of astir 4.5 cardinal items hailing from each continent. These see archaeological and anthropological artefacts, arsenic good arsenic a vivarium featuring unrecorded amphibians. The past grounds successful peculiar is nan only spot extracurricular of Panama wherever visitors tin spot nan critically endangered harlequin toad, which is known by researchers and enthusiasts alike for its striking colors.  

The European Museum of nan Year Award was presented by Amina Krvavac, Chair of nan EMYA Jury. In a twelvemonth focused connected solidarity and corporate action, nan Manchester Museum was recognised specifically for “enhancing accessibility” and creating “new spaces to foster deeper organization connections and beforehand intercultural dialogue,” according to a connection from nan awards.  

The depository was besides specifically acknowledged for nan ways successful which it grappled pinch its assemblage past. As museums astir nan world, including galore successful nan UK, person grappled pinch nan ways successful which it has acquired and presented archaeological artefacts, nan Manchester Museum, besides calved of Empire, has, according to nan Awards committee “reimagined its mission” by “acknowledging and addressing its analyzable history by redefining nan domiciled of its collections and nationalist programmes.”  

But what do these changes look for illustration successful practice?  

For one, nan depository has placed dense accent connected highlighting nan perspectives of indigenous peoples, and allowing group from those communities to curate and show their ain stories.

Such is nan lawsuit for “Anindilyakwa Arts: Stories from our Country” an accumulation presently connected display, which explores nan civilization and traditions of nan Anindilyakwa People aliases Warnumamalya (true people), nan Traditional Owners of nan Groote archipelago disconnected nan northbound seashore of Australia.

This grounds successful peculiar was designed by and written pinch Anindilyakwa artists and Elders. In summation to this, successful 2023, 174 taste practice items were returned by nan Manchester Museum to their country, demonstrating an progressive desire connected nan portion of nan depository to correct humanities wrongs.  

A venue pinch other value

The prime of venue for nan awards was besides cautiously considered. Last year, nan Sybir Memorial Museum won nan Council of Europe Museum prize for its contributions to upholding quality authorities and antiauthoritarian citizenship.

The depository explores nan stories of Poles deported to nan USSR during nan Second World War, and was praised for its expertise to bring history to life “through workshops, events, media, publications, and caller formats.” 

This year's Council of Europe Museum Prize went to nan Euskararen Etxea, nan House of nan Basque Language successful Bilbao, Spain. This space, described by nan awards committee arsenic “a unsocial taste abstraction dedicated to nan Basque language, its history, and nan stories of resilience and personality associated pinch it,” was awarded for its exploration of “the heavy emotions, challenges, and guidance tied to nan Basque culture.”

While this depository focuses connected nan history of nan number connection utilized chiefly successful Spain, it offers exhibits successful English, French, Spanish, arsenic good arsenic Basque, making it accessible to a wider assortment of visitors.  

The depository recognised for organization engagement was nan Alvor Lifeguard Interpretative Centre (CISA) successful Portimão, Portugal. Much for illustration nan Manchester Museum, CISA places dense accent connected people-forward exhibitions, pinch stories being told by nan group they are about. CISA itself focuses connected preserving accepted artisanal sportfishing practices and labour traditions, pinch galore contributions coming from section residents.  

The Portimão Museum Prize for Welcoming, Inclusion and Belonging, which celebrates a “friendly ambiance of inclusion”, went to nan Istanbul Museum of Modern Art, which was recognized for nan ways successful which it reaches retired to young people. The depository boasts an mean of 500 young visitors a day, according to nan awards committee.

 Awarded for biology sustainability was MUZOO, a modern Swiss abstraction which invites locals to attraction for animals to foster conversations astir biodiversity. It combines exhibits pinch interactive experiences that some create biology speech and time off a lasting belief erstwhile nan visitors leave.  

Nini Sanadiradze, nan erstwhile General Director of The Union of Tbilisi Museums, was besides honored arsenic an individual for her “courageous, astatine times controversial, depository practices that situation and grow communal perceptions of nan domiciled and responsibilities of museums successful society.”

She was besides recognized pinch a badge of grant by nan erstwhile Georgian president, Salome Zourabichvili, for her “exceptional dedication to safeguarding and conserving Georgian taste and humanities heritage.”  

Next year’s awards will beryllium held astatine nan Euskararen Etxea successful Bilbao.