Art Fund Announces 2025 Museum of the Year Finalists Across UK
The Art Fund has revealed the five finalists for the Museum of the Year award in 2025, which comes with a prize of £120,000. The contenders are Beamish in County Durham, Chapter in Cardiff, Compton Verney in Warwickshire, Golden Thread Gallery in Belfast, and Perth Museum. In 2024, Beamish welcomed more than 838,000 visitors thanks to its 1950s Town expansion. Chapter recorded over half a million attendees across fourteen exhibitions from autumn 2023 to winter 2024. Compton Verney attracted 117,000 visitors with its displays featuring Sarah Lucas and Chila Kumari Singh Burman. After relocating, Golden Thread Gallery saw 23,000 visitors in just six months. Perth Museum reopened in March 2024, bringing in over 250,000 visitors. The winner will be revealed on 26 June at the Museum of Liverpool.
Key facts
- Art Fund revealed five finalists for the 2025 Museum of the Year award
- The winner receives £120,000, the largest monetary award in the global cultural sector
- Finalists are Beamish, Chapter, Compton Verney, Golden Thread Gallery, and Perth Museum
- The winner announcement ceremony will be on 26 June at the Museum of Liverpool
- The judging panel includes Jenny Waldman, Rana Begum, Dr David Dibosa, Jane Richardson, and Phil Wang
- Perth Museum reopened in March 2024 after a £27 million redevelopment
- Beamish attracted over 838,000 visitors in 2024
- Chapter hosted over half a million attendees in the past year
Entities
Artists
- Sarah Lucas
- Chila Kumari Singh Burman
- Erika Verzutti
- Emma Talbot
- Susan Hiller
- Claire Morgan
- Sophie Calle
- Stuart Calvin
- Rana Begum
Institutions
- Art Fund
- Beamish, The Living Museum of the North
- Chapter
- Compton Verney
- Golden Thread Gallery
- Perth Museum
- Tate
- Amgueddfa Cymru
- Museum of Liverpool
- Translink NI
- Aesthetica Magazine
Locations
- County Durham
- Cardiff
- Wales
- Warwickshire
- Belfast
- Northern Ireland
- Perth
- Scotland
- UK
- London
- Liverpool