WHO TOOK HOME PRIZES AT THIS YEAR’S EUROPEAN MUSEUM OF THE YEAR AWARDS?

The Sámi Museum Siida was awarded the top prize at this year’s European Museum of the Year Awards, which were presented on the last day of the EMYA2024 Annual Conference in Portimão, Portugal on Saturday.

Organised by the European Museum Forum and hosted by the Municipality of Portimão, the conference was centred around one main theme: “Museums in Pursuit of Social Impact”.

The 2024 winner of the European Museum of the Year Award, the Sámi Museum Siida, is the national museum of the Sámi people of Finland. The Sámi people – whose ancestral lands (known as Sápmi) extend across large swathes of northern Norway, Sweden, Finland, and the Kola Peninsula in Russia – are the only recognised indigenous culture in Europe.

The awards committee lauded the Sámi Museum Siida, located in the town of Inari, for its creativity, ethical conservation practices and fostering of cultural dialogue.

“Sámi Museum Siida, as an indigenous museum, is primarily for the Sámi people themselves. But we are extremely pleased to see how our Sámi story resonates with the entire European museum community and people around the world,” said museum director Taina Pieski in her acceptance speech.

Other museums to scoop awards included the Sybir Memorial Museum in Poland’s Białystok, which won the Council of Europe Museum Prize – awarded to a museum that has contributed significantly to upholding human rights and democratic citizenship. The museum tells the story of Polish citizens who were deported to the Soviet Union during World War Two, and was congratulated for its “ability to convey history through workshops, events, media, publications and new formats”.

When it came to community engagement, the Kalamaja Museum in the Estonian capital, Tallinn, came out on top. The relatively small museum, which tells the story of the old Kalamaja district and was co-created by and managed with the local community, won the Silletto Prize for Community Participation and Engagement.

The Portimão Museum Prize for Welcoming, Inclusion and Belonging, which celebrates a “friendly atmosphere of inclusion”, went to the Salt Museum in the Greek town of Messolonghi. Sea salt harvesting in the Messolonghi Lagoon dates back to at least the 14th century, with this history presented with “heart, humility, and a prevailing willingness to make a difference” at the museum, according to the awards committee.

In terms of environmental credentials, London’s Museum of the Home was second to none, receiving the Meyvaert Museum Prize for Environmental Sustainability for its engagement of diverse audiences on questions of sustainability.

As well as museums, the awards also honoured individuals. Ihor Poshyvailo, who directs Ukraine’s Maidan Museum, took home the Kenneth Hudson Award for Institutional Courage and Professional Integrity for his “unwavering commitment to preserving Ukraine's cultural legacy amidst the ravages of war”.

2024-05-07T05:09:59Z dg43tfdfdgfd