culture
Plymouth’s the Box wins 2026 Art Fund museum of the year award
‘Ambitious and welcoming’ venue that opened in 2020 praised for ‘reimagining what being a museum can mean’
TL;DR
- The Box in Plymouth received the Art Fund museum of the year award, the world's largest such prize.
- The award includes a £120,000 prize, with other finalists receiving £20,000.
- The Box, a museum, gallery, and archive, opened in 2020 and has welcomed over 1.3 million visitors.
- It has generated substantial economic (£244m) and health and wellbeing (£100m) benefits for Plymouth.
- The venue has a strong community focus, engaging with 89% of the city's schools and various local groups.
- Judges highlighted its ambitious, inclusive, and audience-focused approach, which reimagines the role of a museum.
- Past and current exhibitions explore diverse themes, including colonial histories, archives, and art from major collections.