Five museums shortlisted for Art Fund Museum of the Year 2023
Art Fund has today announced the five museums selected as finalists for Art Fund Museum of the Year 2023, the world’s largest museum prize.
The shortlisted museums are:
The Burrell Collection, Glasgow
Leighton House, London
The MAC, Belfast
Natural History Museum, London
Scapa Flow Museum, Orkney
This year’s edition celebrates 10 years of the prize and marks 120 years of Art Fund supporting museums. The 2023 shortlisted museums collectively tell inspiring stories and demonstrate the positive impact their work has had on their visitors and local communities.
The winner will be announced on 12 July and will receive £120,000, while £15,000 will be given to each of the four other finalists – bringing the total prize money to £180,000.
The 2023 judging panel includes: Larry Achiampong, artist; Mary Beard, historian and broadcaster; Abadesi Osunsade, Art Fund Trustee, author and owner of Hustle Crew; Laura Pye, Director, National Museums Liverpool; and Jenny Waldman, Director, Art Fund. The judges will visit each of the finalists to inform their decision, while each museum will make the most of being shortlisted over the summer through events and activities for new and current visitors.
Speaking on behalf of the judges, Jenny Waldman, Director, Art Fund said: ‘The five Art Fund Museum of the Year 2023 finalists are at the top of their game, offering inspirational collections and programmes for their communities, for visitors from across the UK and around the world. From transformational redevelopment to community involvement to addressing the major issues of today, the shortlisted museums may operate at very different scales, but all show astonishing ambition and boundless creativity. Each is a blueprint for future innovation in museums. Visit them if you possibly can.’
The prize is funded thanks to the generosity of Art Fund’s members who have purchased a National Art Pass, giving them discounts and benefits at the shortlisted museums, as well as hundreds of others across the UK.
Marking the tenth year of Art Fund Museum of the Year, Art Fund has collaborated with Google Arts & Culture to present the last decade of the prize. Launching today, a new online collection gives an exclusive overview of the winning (and shortlisted) museums over the years, ranging from Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wakefield (winner in 2014) to St Fagans National Museum of History, Cardiff (winner in 2019).
Art Fund Museum of the Year continues its collaboration with the BBC in 2023.