The finalists for Art Fund Museum of the Year 2025 have been announced. They are:
Beamish, The Living Museum of the North (County Durham) – the open-air museum which offers a window into life in North East England in the 1820s, 1900s, 1940s and 1950s.
Chapter (Cardiff) – one of Wales’ leading arts centres rooted in the heart of Cardiff and comprising a gallery, artists’ studios, theatres, cinemas, a café bar and community garden.
Compton Verney (Warwickshire) – an art gallery with six world-class art collections, a sculpture park and café set within a Grade I-listed 18th century mansion and 120 acres of Capability Brown parkland.
Golden Thread Gallery (Belfast) – Northern Ireland’s leading contemporary art gallery featuring two large galleries, a community participation and engagement hub and the county’s first visual art library and archive. Golden Thread Gallery reopened in a new venue in Belfast City in August 2024.
Perth Museum (Perth & Kinross) – home of the Stone of Destiny, Perth Museum opened in March 2024 following at £27 million development at the former Perth City Hall, telling the story of over 10,000 years of Scottish and world history through a local lens.
The winning museum will receive £120,000 and each of the four other finalists will receive £15,000.
Art Fund annually shortlists five outstanding museums for Art Fund Museum of the Year. The 2025 judging panel, chaired by Art Fund director Jenny Waldman, includes Rana Begum (artist), Dr David Dibosa (Director of Research and Interpretation, Tate), Jane Richardson (Chief Executive, Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales) and Phil Wang (comedian, actor, writer). The judges will visit each of the finalists and the winner will be announced on 26 June at a ceremony at the Museum of Liverpool.
Speaking on behalf of the judges, Jenny Waldman, Director, Art Fund, said:
“This year’s finalists are inspiring examples of museums at their best – deeply connected to their local communities, responsive to the world around them and alive with energy and ideas. Each one offers a distinctive experience, showing the endless creativity and care that goes into making museums inspiring and exciting spaces for everyone. Art Fund is proud to celebrate their work and support their ambition through Art Fund Museum of the Year and we hope people across the UK will be inspired to visit these remarkable places and museums in their local area to discover the powerful role they can play in our lives.”
For further information: artfund.org
Image: Compton Verney is a Museum of the Year Finalist 2025 © David Levene/Art Fund 2025
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