European Museum of the Year Award (EMYA) 2014

The European Museum of the Year Award (EMYA) was founded in 1977 under the auspices of the Council of Europe, with the aim of recognising excellence in the European museum scene and encouraging innovative processes in a museum world which still took the more traditional view to focus exclusively on collections rather than on their use for the benefit of society.

It was an adventurous initiative, with the founders generously investing their prestige and their expertise, together with a lot of time and energy for something never experienced before on this European scale.

EMYA has had a positive influence on the lives of a number of museum professionals and has brought to centre stage small museums with highly innovative contents, which otherwise would not have received recognition at the European level. EMYA through the work of EMF has also directed the attention of public authorities to initiatives originating in their own countries, which previously were almost neglected and not recognised at the level they deserved.

Within the EMYA scheme all museums are equal whether public or private, small or large. Whatever their subject or their nationality, they are assessed on the basis of what is considered outstanding public quality.

EMYA has proved to be the longest running and most prestigious museum award in Europe and is an important occasion for promoting innovative approaches in the museum sector throughout the whole continent.

The applying museum can be EITHER a new museum first opened to the public in
the past three years, OR can be an established museum that has completed a
substantial programme of modernisation, extension, reorganisation or re­
interpretation during the past three years.

Museums/exhibitions opened for more than 3 years at the time of the call for applications for EMYA2014 are not eligible.

Temporary or 'semi­permanent' exhibitions can be the subject of an application. It  has to be noted that museums/exhibitions need to be open/completed in time for
the judging visit (summer ­ early autumn 2013) and have to remain accessible  until at last the end of May 2014.