Categories

Since 1977, the EMF has presented two main awards:

• European Museum of the Year
• Council of Europe Museum Prize

Three additional prizes were subsequently added to the EMF awards:

• In 2010, the Kenneth Hudson Award for daring achievement.^[8]
• In 2011, the Silletto Prize for community/cultural engagement.^[9]
• In 2019, the Portimão Museum Prize for the most welcoming museum.^[10]
• In 2020, the Meyvaert Museum Prize for Sustainability for "exceptional commitment to social, economic and environmental sustainability".^[11]

Criteria

The EMF state that the European Museum of the Year is based on:

This award goes to a museum which contributes most directly to attracting audiences and satisfying its visitors with unique atmosphere, imaginative interpretation and presentation, a creative approach to education and social responsibility.

— European Museum Forum, (2019).^[1]

The EMF state that the Council of Europe Museum Prize is based on:

This prestigious prize is awarded on the recommendations of the EMYA Judging Panel, by the Committee on Culture, Science and Education of the Council of Europe to a museum which puts particular emphasis on a clearly understandable presentation of a European perspective and of the interplay between local and European identities, working with themes of European relevance and adhering to key values and priorities of democracy, human rights, tolerance and intercultural dialogue, of bridging cultures and overcoming social and political borders.

— European Museum Forum, (2019).^[12]

Judging

Museums in 47 European countries, all members of the Council of Europe, can take part in the competition if they are newly opened or have undergone modernization or expansion in the past three years.^[13]