Art Fund Museum of the Year 2018

The biggest museum prize in the world, Art Fund Museum of the Year seeks out and celebrates innovation and exceptional achievement in museums and galleries across the UK.

We award £100,000 to one outstanding winner and £10,000 to each finalist to support future activity. It’s a moment to spotlight the originality and creativity of our sector.

This year's finalists

Brooklands Museum

Weybridge

The original home of British motorsport and aircraft manufacturing, Brooklands provides a fascinating insight into some of the 20th century's most significant technological developments.

Ferens Art Gallery

Hull

Boasting a magnificent collection, ranging from the medieval period and European Old Masters to contemporary video, Ferens was at the heart of Hull's UK City of Culture celebrations in 2017.

Glasgow Women's Library

Glasgow

The only accredited museum in the UK dedicated to women's lives, histories and achievements, Glasgow Women's Library offers archives, exhibitions and events in the heart of the city's East End.

The Postal Museum

London

Bringing five centuries of communications history to life, London's newest museum tells the surprising story of Britain's postal heritage and first social network.

Celebrating the important contribution of 20th-century artists who lived and worked in Cornwall, Tate St Ives reopened last year following a £20 million redevelopment which has doubled its gallery space.

Student Road Trip

This year for the first time we sent five Student Art Pass members on a five-day whistlestop tour of all the finalists. After departing on the Monday 11th June for Brooklands Museum the students visited Glasgow Women's Library, Ferens Art Gallery, Tate St Ives, before finishing up at the Postal Museum on the Friday 15th June.

The students captured their journey on social media and you can take a look back at their adventures on Twitter and Instagram via #MuseumoftheYear and watch video highlights of the tour.

This year's judges

Previous Winners

The Hepworth Wakefield

Wakefield, WF1 5AW

Wakefield's art gallery has its toes in the gushing waters of the river Calder and was the winner of Art Fund Museum of the Year 2017.

V&A (Victoria and Albert Museum)

London, SW7 2RL

Winner of Art Fund Museum of the Year 2016, the V&A is home to more than two and a half million objects.

The Whitworth

Manchester, M15 6ER

Winner of the Museum of the Year 2015, the Whitworth impressed with its extensive £15 million redevelopment project.

Yorkshire Sculpture Park

Wakefield, WF4 4LG

Winner of Museum of the Year 2014, YSP is an international centre for modern and contemporary art inspired by the natural beauty of the historic 18th-century Bretton Estate.

William Morris Gallery

London, E17 4PP

Housed in a fine Georgian building, the gallery is the only one in Britain dedicated to the leader of the Arts and Crafts movement.

Royal Albert Memorial Museum and Art Gallery

Exeter, EX4 3RX

Housed in a magnificent Victorian building designed by architect John Hayward, the museum has diverse collections of both local and international importance.

More about the history