Hepworth Wakefield

Art Fund Museum of the Year is the world’s biggest museum prize

Every year, Art Fund shortlists five outstanding museums for Art Fund Museum of the Year.

The prize champions what museums do, encourages more people to visit, and gets to the heart of what makes a truly memorable museum.

This year, our judges are tasked with identifying projects that spotlight the wide range of remarkable people, including museum staff and volunteers, who bring museums to life by engaging with communities, families and younger visitors, artists and creatives.

Our Judges for 2025

Our experienced and passionate panel of judges are responsible for selecting the shortlist of five museums and deciding who will win Art Fund Museum of the Year 2025.

Meet last year's winner

Young V&A was announced as Art Fund Museum of the Year 2024 at a ceremony at the National Gallery, London, on 10 July.

Art Fund Museum of the Year
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2024 winner
Young V&A
Bethnal Green
Greater London
50% off exhibitions

Young V&A is a museum sparking creativity now and for the future. Created with children from early years to early teens, it is a place for young people to imagine, play and design, and get inspired by almost 2,000 toys, characters, objects and artworks on display from around the world and across history.

Museum of the Year finalists

Celebrating 10 years of Art Fund Museum of the Year with Google Arts & Culture

In 2023 we partnered with Google Arts & Culture to tell the stories of the past 10 years of winners and finalists, to mark the prize’s anniversary.

Art Fund Museum of the Year map

Discover all the winners and finalists of the prize, from 2013 to the present day

Individual Please note this is an example card and not a reflection of the final product

See more for less

Visit past winners, finalists and hundreds more museums across the UK with a National Art Pass