Rijksmuseum wins European Museum of the Year Award - Museums Association

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Rijksmuseum wins European Museum of the Year Award

Mary Rose Museum receives special commendation
The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam won the European Museum of the Year Award (Emya) at an award ceremony hosted by the Riverside Museum in Glasgow last week.

The European Museum Forum (EMF), which runs the annual prize, recognised the museum following its 10-year redevelopment.

“The renewed Rijksmuseum offers impressive multilingual guidance to its visitors, witty and thought-provoking interventions in the galleries, and a state-of-the-art website for virtual visitors,” the EMF said. “It is a great museum, at the height of its powers, providing a rich experience to the public, and a socially aware outreach programme for visitors of all ages.”

The judges commended the Rijksmuseum’s educational and outreach programmes, and its goal to “reach every child in the Netherlands by the age of 12”.

The museum received the Emya trophy, The Egg by Henry Moore, which it will keep for a year.

In the 38th year of the awards, the EMF also announced three other winners.

The Silletto Prize, which recognises excellence in working with the local community and involving volunteers, was awarded to the Familistère at Guise, in France, a living museum in a 19th-century phalanstery or “social palace” for factory workers.

The Kenneth Hudson Award for achievements, which challenges common perceptions of the role of museums in society, was awarded to the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum in Geneva, Switzerland.

The judging panel commended the museum for choosing three designers from different cultural backgrounds for its permanent exhibition, which they said was a “bold manifestation of true cultural diversity”.

And the new Council of Europe Museum Prize 2015 went to the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations in Marseille, France. The museum was awarded a trophy, La Femme aux Beaux Seins by Joan Miró.

Five museums received special commendations from the Emya judging panel, including the Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth; the Red Star Line Museum in Antwerp, Belgium; the Museo delle Scienze in Trento, Italy; and the Vorarlberg Museum, Austria.

The Finnish Nature Centre Haltia, Finland, received a commendation for sustainability.  

The deadline for entries to Emya 2016 is 31 May. More information can be found on the European Museum Forum website.



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