Search for Museum of the Year is launched 7 May 2021

The Art Fund has launched its search for the Museum of the Year 2021. It is encouraging applications from museums, galleries and historic houses of all sizes, and regardless of whether they have been forced to close physical spaces over the past year. The prize will seek to reward the ‘resilience and imagination’ of museums in adapting to the pandemic. Acknowledging that it has ‘taken huge resource just to keep the plates spinning ‘ and that many museums are in emergency mode, the application process has been simplified this year, and consists of three questions:

• What did you do in the last year which showed imagination and determination?
• How did this make a difference?
• How will you build on this in the future?

Longlisted museums will be invited to present their applications to judges, who will then shortlist based on these conversations. The judging panel will be led by Art Fund Director Jenny Waldman and will include Tate Director and NMDC Chair Maria Balshaw, The Common Guild Director Katrina Brown, Google’s Suhair Khan and artist Thomas J Price. The winner will receive £100k, with four runners up getting £15k each – an increase of £5k on last year’s runners up prize. The deadline for applications is midday on 1st June 2021. Art Fund (application forms), Art Fund (press release), Museums Journal