This is your chance to thank your volunteers!

So, if you would like to give a very public show of appreciation to your volunteer(s) simply nominate the individual or team you think most deserving. 

FREE TO ENTER!

Up to two winners will be selected:

1. one which has used simple, affordable and easily-transferable approaches

2. one which is a project with environmental sustainability embedded at its heart

Entries should demonstrate how their project or exhibition has used, for example, energy efficiency measures, green visitor travel planning or unique approaches to engaging audiences with the climate crisis.

Entries should also identify any wider economic, social or environmental benefits to the organisation or community which have arisen from ‘thinking sustainably’.  Capital projects in particular might wish to demonstrate how they deliver against relevant UN Sustainability Goals

As a guide, to see what The National Lottery Heritage Fund expects of the projects it funds, explore its environmental sustainability guidance

Your application must apply to projects which were delivered during 2025.

For inspiration, take a look at these case studies of previous winners:

2025
Stourbridge Glass Museum

2024
Scottish Crannog Centre
Roots & Branches

FREE TO ENTER!

Please refer to the How to Enter section for further details including eligibility information.

Open to UK organisations only

We are seeking nominees who have a clear vision for their role in the future of our sector, who may inspire and motivate others and who may be actively working to drive positive change in the years to come.

The judges will look to reward those whose work is enhancing the sector through transformative and collaborative ideas and practices. Impact over a significant period, rather than just a short-term success, is important and consistency in achieving positive outcomes is a crucial criterion.

Nominees who have demonstrated the ability to collaborate with diverse stakeholders to achieve sector-wide improvements will be considered favourably.

You can nominate someone else, or you can make your own evidence-based submission.

Please refer to the How to Enter section for further details including eligibility information.

Open to UK organisations only

HR, finance, cleaning, grounds maintenance, facilities and collections care staff are just a few of the eligible teams carrying out essential back-of-house work. If you are a smaller organisation without distinct departments, you may even wish to enter your entire team.

In 2025, the HR department of National Galleries Scotland won the award, and in 2024 it was the Collections Team at the Powell-Cotton Museum.

This important award is intended to reward great teamwork which has had a positive impact and which makes a difference in the day-to-day running of your organisation.

The judges will be looking for evidence of consistent good practice, commitment to positive change, collaborative approach and all-around outstanding performance.

This is a chance to show your appreciation for the positive impact that your nominated team has had on your organisation.

What better way to say thank you than to nominate them for Team of the Year?

Please refer to the How to Enter section for further details including eligibility information.

This important award is brought to you in partnership with Association of Independent Museums (AIM).

This important award seeks to celebrate the greatest visitor experience and the most welcoming atmosphere.

Understanding, knowing, listening and communicating with your visitors is at the heart of this category and, from start to finish, impressions count. Please describe what your organisation has done to ensure that your visitors get the best welcome ever.

The judges will be looking for evidence of excellence and innovation in both design and interpretation, delivered within the project’s brief and budget. They will be seeking exhibitions that demonstrate thoughtful, creative design rooted in meaningful community engagement where interpretation and storytelling work seamlessly together to engage, inform, and inspire visitors.

Particular attention should be paid to the impact the exhibition has had on the overall museum, gallery or heritage attraction as well as to its broader community of visitors and other stakeholders. 

Full consideration will be given to the budget in relation to size and scope of the project so please be sure to include all of the facts and figures. All figures and costs are treated in confidence.

For designers and contractors wishing to enter this category, it is imperative that the submission is made with the permission of your client. Where possible, we recommend that the submission is made jointly, with the input of your client.

Open to UK-based exhibitions only.  For Exhibitions not located in the UK please refer to the International Exhibition of the Year category. Please refer to the Eligibility section.

Entries for this award should highlight excellence in the creation of a temporary or touring exhibition, designed to be featured within a museum, gallery or heritage attraction. Particular attention should be given to the effectiveness of the exhibition in attracting new and diverse audiences. 

Please be clear about your objectives and define who the beneficiaries of the programme are/were. When describing your work be sure to tell us how you achieved your objectives, placing particular emphasis on the impact it had on teachers and learning audiences including primary, secondary and SEND schools and FE/HE providers.

Please include numbers – explain how many people benefited and what increase in engagement there has been. The judges will also be looking at how programmes are relevant to local audiences as well as supporting local and national strategies.

Tell us how your community engagement work is tailored to meet the needs and interests of specific target groups, to offer wider access to your organisation, its collections and stories.

Ensure you describe the community or communities you were working with and in describing the process of delivery, place particular emphasis on how you overcame any barriers to engagement. Please describe the positive impact that this work has had on your community and provide evidence of outcomes – these could include new and return visits, shifting demographics, development of partnerships, etc. 

This can consist of a sustained campaign or a one-off initiative. Entries can cover events, viral marketing, fundraising campaigns, use of social media, advertising, PR, sponsorship activities etc but must demonstrate creativity and originality, a provable impact and clearly illustrate an effective return on investment.

Be sure to be clear about the impact your strategy has had in terms of visitor numbers, new audiences and/or engagement.

We’re all stronger together!

The Judges will look for partnerships that have achieved something which individual organisations could not have done on their own, and which demonstrates creativity and had a significant impact on people, collections or place.

The project or programme should involve at least one museum, collection or heritage/cultural site or organisation, and one or more additional partners (which may be non-museum or heritage organisations). Particular emphasis should be given to the impact the partnership has had and its lasting legacy.

Please note that your entry must focus on the benefits and strengths of the partnership not on the detail of, for example, an exhibition or event that may have been delivered as a result of your partnership.

The focus of this award is not on the digitisation process itself but on how organisations have used digital technologies to take stories to new audiences, and why that has made a positive difference to the user. Examples might include AI, VR/AR, digital twinning, gamification, innovative digital interpretation, commercial partnerships and other new digital experiences either online or in situ.

Entries must demonstrate how you have successfully used your digital offering to reach new audiences, in new and creative ways, as well as using digital tools to enhance other activities such as commercial or learning. Be clear about impact and evaluation and clearly demonstrate why and how your digital project or programme has been successful.

Consideration will be given to the relative size of your organisation.

This new category recognises companies, consultancies, partnerships and creative studios whose products or services have made a real difference to clients in the cultural sector. From exhibition designers, digital specialists and interpretation experts to conservation firms, retail suppliers and strategic consultants, this award celebrates the businesses that help museums and heritage organisations innovate, engage audiences, and achieve their goals.

We’re looking for businesses that go beyond simply delivering great work – those that help elevate their clients’ ambitions, enabling innovation, and supporting the sector to thrive. Whether through creative design, smart strategy, technical excellence or outstanding service, the winner will demonstrate how their work has made a genuine difference.

Your entry should provide clear, evidence-based information.

To pitch for the title of Museums + Heritage Business of the Year, you will need to answer a series of questions and submit a simple short, one minute, video or slide deck in which you must clearly explain why your company and/or products and services are worthy of this title. Videos/slides do not have to be a big production, it could be shot on a smartphone in one take but it will be used in the next voting round.

The selected shortlistees’ pitch will be put to a sector-wide vote and the winner will be featured on Museums + Heritage Advisor and given an opportunity to speak at the Museums + Heritage Show.

Being shortlisted, let alone winning, is an incredible way to get your brilliant business in front of thousands of museum and heritage sector professionals!

IMPORTANT Please ensure you have read the FAQs and T&Cs on the How To Enter page and check the eligibility criteria before proceeding with your entry.

Please note this category is open to businesses the world-over.

This category relates to both permanent, temporary or touring exhibitions outside the UK.

The judges will be looking for evidence of innovative design and interpretation within the project brief and budget. They are seeking thoughtfully designed experiences with effective storytelling throughout that engages, informs, and inspires. 

Particular attention should be paid to the impact the exhibition has had on the overall museum, gallery or heritage attraction as well as to its new and/or existing visitors.

Full consideration will be given to the budget in relation to the size and scope of the project so please be sure to include all of the facts and figures.

All figures and costs are treated in confidence.

This award category is open to museums, galleries, archives, heritage visitor attractions, organisations, charities and bodies plus their suppliers, contractors and partners. For designers and contractors wishing to enter this category, it is imperative that the submission is made with the permission of your client. Where possible, we recommend that the submission is made jointly, with the input of your client.

Please refer to the How to Enter section for further details including eligibility information.

Open only to exhibitions outside of the UK, regardless of where the company or organisation entering is located. 

The focus of this award is not on the digitisation process itself but on how organisations have used digital innovations to take stories to new audiences.  Examples might include AI, VR/AR, virtual tours, gamification, innovative digital interpretation, commercial partnerships and other new digital experiences either online or in situ.

Entries must demonstrate how you have successfully used your digital offering to reach new audiences, in new and creative ways, as well as using digital tools to enhance other activities such as commercial or learning. Be clear about impact and evaluation and clearly demonstrate why and how your digital project or programme has been successful. 

Consideration will be given to the relative size of your organisation.

Please refer to the How to Enter section for further details including eligibility information.

Open only to digital projects outside of the UK, regardless of where the company or organisation entering is located.