Twenty one winners across the sector were announced tonight at the Museums + Heritage Awards as the sector ceremony entered its 22nd year.
In response to increased demand for tickets, this year’s ceremony took place at London’s Hilton Park Lane and was hosted by paleoanthropologist and stand-up comic Ella Al-Shamahi.
Among the 21 awards at this year’s ceremony was the Innovator of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, Sustainable Project of the Year award and the recently introduced Team of the Year award, which was presented to National Museums Liverpool’s Housekeeping Team.
Anna Preedy, Director of Museums + Heritage Awards commented: “Tonight, as we celebrate excellence in museums and heritage, I want also to reflect on the profound importance of your work to society. Museums and cultural institutions serve as custodians of our collective memory, guardians of our heritage, and catalysts for dialogue, understanding, and empathy. In a world often divided, you offer spaces of unity, inspiration, and hope – reminding us of our shared humanity and the power of culture to transcend barriers.”
For a full list of winners, shortlistees, project information and judges comments, visit the Museums + Heritage Awards website.
2024 Museums + Heritage Awards winners
Innovator of the Year
WINNER:
PinPoint Visualisation Limited
Voyager Art
Best Use of Digital
WINNER:
The Mary Rose Trust
Dive 4D: The Mary Rose Museum
Best Use of Digital – International
WINNER:
Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT)
Stories from the skies: Te Kōtiu immersive projection experience
Volunteer(s) of the Year
WINNER:
Suffolk Archives/Suffolk County Council
Kamal Faizi – Suffolk Archives and Volunteering Matters
Team of the Year sponsored by Scutum Group Ltd
WINNER:
The Powell – Cotton Museum
Skulls on the move!
Cafe or Restaurant of the Year
WINNER:
The Bowes Museum
Café Bowes
Community Engagement Programme of the Year
WINNER:
History of Science Museum & Pitt Rivers Museum (Oxford University)
MultakaOxford
HIGHLY COMMENDED:
Wilberforce House Museum, Hull Museums
Changing Perspectives
Museums and Heritage Sector Impact Award
WINNER:
Sam Bowen
SEND in Museums – inclusion for everyone
HIGHLY COMMENDED:
Leeds Museums and Galleries
Leeds Museums and Galleries Learning and Access Team
Learning Programme of the Year
WINNER:
Horniman Museum and Gardens
Secondary School Programme
HIGHLY COMMENDED:
National Museums NI
Museum on the Move
Visitor Welcome Award sponsored by Tyg Ltd
WINNER:
Beamish, The Living Museum of the North
Beamish, The Living Museum of the North
HIGHLY COMMENDED:
Gloucester Cathedral
A world-class welcome awaits you at Gloucester Cathedral!
Judges’ Special Recognition Award
WINNER:
Research Centre for Museums and Galleries, University of Leicester
Marketing + Communications Campaign of the Year sponsored by Cabbells Ltd
WINNER:
The Tank Museum
YouTube & The Creator Economy
HIGHLY COMMENDED:
National Portrait Gallery
The new National Portrait Gallery – reopening communications campaign
Partnership of the Year
WINNER:
Portsmouth Historic Dockyard
A partnership between the Mary Rose Trust and the National Museum of the Royal Navy
Restoration or Conservation Project of the Year
WINNER:
The Churches Conservation Trust
Bees, Bodies, Bodley – The (Re)Birth of Sudbury Arts Centre
JOINT HIGHLY COMMENDED
University of St Andrews, Libraries and Museums
Toxic Books: Detecting arsenic in 19th century book covers
Hardwick Hall, National Trust
A Stitch in Time: conserving the Gideon Tapestries
Shop of the Year
WINNER:
Shakespeare’s Globe
The Globe Shop
HIGHLY COMMENDED:
The Postal Museum
The Postal Museum Shop
Temporary or Touring Exhibition of the Year (Budget under £80k)
WINNER:
Leeds Museums and Galleries and the Leeds Hip Hop Historian Society
A Hip Hop Journey: 50 Years of Kulture
HIGHLY COMMENDED:
Northampton Museums and Art Gallery
Punk: Rage & Revolution
Temporary or Touring Exhibition of the Year (Budget over £80k)
WINNER:
Migration Museum
Heart of the Nation: Migration and the Making of the NHS
HIGHLY COMMENDED:
Fitzwilliam Museum
Black Atlantic: Power, People, Resistance
Sustainable Project of the Year sponsored by National Lottery Heritage Fund
JOINT WINNER:
Manchester Museum and Museum Development North West
Roots and Branches
JOINT WINNER:
The Scottish Crannog Centre
1000 Fingerprints 1000 Voices
International Exhibition of the Year sponsored by Beck
WINNER:
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Mission Masterpiece at the Rijksmuseum – are you discovering a new masterpiece?
HIGHLY COMMENDED:
The Danish Welfare Museum
Placed in Care (Anbragt)
Permanent Exhibition of the Year sponsored by Displayways Ltd
WINNER:
Manchester Museum
South Asia Gallery: a British Museum partnership
HIGHLY COMMENDED:
Kilmartin Museum Company Ltd
Kilmartin Museum’s Permanent Exhibition