The Box Wins £120k Art Fund Museum of the Year 2026

The Box in Plymouth has been awarded the esteemed £120,000 Art Fund Museum of the Year for 2026, marking it as the most significant museum honor worldwide. Judges praised its creative and inclusive approach, successfully blending impressive collections with deep community involvement. Since opening in 2020, the museum has managed to safeguard over 2 million artifacts and has drawn in more than 1.3 million visitors. In other news, Eva St John won the Fiction Prize at the Selfies Book Awards for her novel Flint in the Bones, while Luke Icarus Simon earned the Memoir Prize for The Art in My Palm. Jemma Hatt claimed the Children's Book Prize for Kringle's Emporium, and Marc Dalessio took home the £35,000 Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award for his piece Jean-Denis. The New English Art Club also recognized Jean Lim, Simon Page, and Craig Jefferson. Meanwhile, Lacey Law and Kanto Ohara Maeda are among the Jerwood Artists in Residence at Sir John Soane's Museum. The British Art Prize is currently accepting entries until 7 August, offering a £2,000 cash prize and a solo exhibition. Other deadlines include OV Theatre Makers (30 July), the Society of Wildlife Artists exhibition (7 August), the Winchester Poetry Prize (31 July), and the Bournemouth Writing Prize (15 August).