European Museum of the Year Award

The European Museum of the Year Award (EMYA) is the longest running and most prestigious museum award in Europe, presented each year by the European Museum Forum (EMF) under the auspices of the Council of Europe. It was founded in 1977 by journalist, anti-museologist, broadcaster and book author Kenneth Hudson. Museums in 47 European countries, all members of the Council of Europe, can take part in the competition if they are newly opened or have undergone modernization or expansion in the past two years.

Aim of the European Museum of the Year Award is to recognize excellence in the European museum scene and to encourage and promote innovative processes in the international museum landscape. The Award goes to a museum which contributes most directly to attracting audiences and satisfying its visitors with unique atmosphere, imaginative interpretation and presentation, a creative approach to education and social responsibility.

EMYA is awarded to two kinds of museums:

Past winners have been both large and small museums, public and private ones, and whatever their subject or their nationality: they all showed outstanding public quality and changed the standard of quality in museums within Europe.

Two more awards are simultaneously presented by the European Museum Forum: the Kenneth Hudson Award, and the Silletto Prize. See European Museum Forum for more information.