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Manchester Museum has won the prestigious European Museum of the Year Award for 2025, becoming the first university museum to receive this recognition in the award’s 48-year history. The announcement came on Saturday, May 25, at a ceremony held at the Sybir Memorial Museum in Białystok, Poland.
The museum, which is part of the University of Manchester, beat 41 other shortlisted institutions from across Europe to claim the top prize. This marks the first British museum to win since the Design Museum in London won in 2018.
A £15 Million Transformation
The award follows a major £15 million redevelopment that saw the museum close for a year and a half before reopening in February 2023. The renovation added a new two-story extension and several permanent galleries, including the Lee Kai Chinese Culture Gallery and the Belonging Gallery.
Esme Ward, Director of Manchester Museum, was at the ceremony with colleagues and expressed surprise at the win. “We were gobsmacked and it was amazing. I probably gave the worst speech of my life, but who cares?” Ward said.
Confronting Colonial History
Judges specifically praised the 138-year-old institution for “reimagining its mission” and “acknowledging and addressing its complex history by redefining the role of its collections and public programmes.”
The museum has taken concrete steps to address its colonial past. In September 2023, it returned 174 cultural objects to the Anindilyakwa people, an Indigenous Australian community. This repatriation was described as a landmark example of cultural healing.
“Manchester Museum was born of incredible civic spirit, but it was also born of empire and of racism and we have to grapple with the legacy of that,” Ward explained. “We want to do that in a way that recognises the harm, but also encourages healing.”
Community-Led Exhibits
A key factor in the museum’s success has been its co-curation strategy. The South Asia Gallery, a partnership with the British Museum, was co-curated with 30 community members from the South Asian diaspora.
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Currently, the museum is hosting “Anindilyakwa Arts: Stories from our Country,” an exhibition designed by and written with Anindilyakwa artists and Elders from Australia’s Groote archipelago.
Amina Krvavac, chair of the EMYA jury, highlighted the museum’s “thoughtful, informed, and impactful community engagement, creating a truly inclusive space where all individuals, regardless of identity or background, can see themselves reflected and represented.”
Social Responsibility Focus
The museum’s top floor has been transformed into a hub for social and environmental justice, collaborating with non-profit organizations on issues relevant to Greater Manchester’s communities.
It also serves as the headquarters for Pinc College, a specialist creative education college for neurodivergent young people.
The museum is home to about 4.5 million items from every continent, including archaeological and anthropological artifacts. Its vivarium features live amphibians, including the critically endangered harlequin toad – the only place outside of Panama where visitors can see this species.
Recognition Without Financial Prize
The European Museum of the Year Award, established in 1977, is considered one of the most prestigious museum awards globally. The prize consists of a small Henry Moore mother and child sculpture but comes with no monetary reward.
Five other museums received awards at the ceremony. The Council of Europe Museum Prize went to the Euskararen Etxea (House of the Basque Language) in Bilbao, Spain. The Alvor Lifeguard Interpretative Centre in Portugal won for community engagement, while the Istanbul Museum of Modern Art received recognition for inclusion. Switzerland’s MUZOO won the award for environmental sustainability.
When asked about potential criticism of the museum’s new approach as “woke,” Ward responded: “I don’t tell anybody what to think. I can’t bear it when people tell me what to think. That’s not what we do. We want to provide multiple perspectives to equip people to navigate this crazy world we’re in, to understand it, to build empathy for other people and the natural world.”
The EMYA 2026 awards will be held at the Euskararen Etxea in Bilbao.
