Five Finalists announced for UK's Art Fund Museum of the Year 2026
Five museums have been selected as finalists for Art Fund Museum of the Year 2026, the world’s largest museum prize.
The museums shortlisted for Art Fund Museum of the Year 2026 are:
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Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery (Norwich) – Following major redevelopment, Norwich Castle’s Norman keep reopened in 2025 and is now the most accessible castle in the UK, with rooms furnished to create an authentic sense of life in the 12th century, immersive storytelling and the new Gallery of Medieval Life.
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The Box (Plymouth) – Celebrating its fifth birthday in September 2025 having welcomed over one million visitors, The Box is a museum, gallery and archive that narrates the rich history of Plymouth, preserving the city’s cultural collections of more than two million artworks, objects, specimens and archival materials.
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The Fitzwilliam Museum (Cambridge) – The University of Cambridge’s principal museum since 1816, the Fitzwilliam is expanding its narrative and evolving its collection to create a museum where everyone belongs. Collection remixes, bold exhibitions and innovative partnerships are encouraging reflection, dialogue and creativity, and driving record-breaking visitor numbers.
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The National Gallery (London) – Founded by Parliament in 1824, the National Gallery houses the nation’s collection of paintings in the Western European tradition from the late 13th to the early 20th century. The gallery celebrated its bicentenary in 2025 with a UK-wide programme and an entire rehang of its collection.
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V&A East Storehouse (London) – Opened in May 2025, V&A East Storehouse is a world-first, new museum experience which invites visitors to walk among half a million creative works, enabling visitors to get up close with their national collections on a scale and in ways not possible before.
The winning museum will be announced on 25 June at a ceremony at Cutty Sark in London and will receive £120,000. Each of the four other finalists will receive £20,000 – an increase of £5,000 for each museum – bringing the total prize money to £200,000.
Main Image: The Box, Plymouth