The Box Wins 2026 UK Museum of the Year
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- The Box in Plymouth won the 2026 Art Fund Museum of the Year at a ceremony aboard the Cutty Sark at Royal Museums Greenwich, receiving a £120,000 prize fund
- Judges credited the museum with generating over £100m in health and wellbeing benefits and boosting Plymouth's local economy by £244m, while reaching almost nine in 10 of the city's schools
- Jenny Waldman, Art Fund director and chair of the judging panel, called The Box "a true jewel in the crown of the South West"
- The museum, owned by Plymouth City Council, holds more than two million artworks, objects and archival materials and has welcomed over 1.3 million visitors since opening in September 2020
- The Box posted a "record-breaking" 2025/2026 season with 356,000 visits, beating its 300,000 target, following the success of its Beryl Cook: Pride and Joy and Journeys with Mai exhibitions
- Judge June Sarpong OBE said the museum "genuinely belongs to the people it serves," highlighting exhibitions that "uncover overlooked histories"
- The four other finalists — the National Gallery, V&A East Storehouse, Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery, and Cambridge's Fitzwilliam Museum — each receive £20,000
Why it matters: A council-owned regional museum beat the National Gallery and V&A East Storehouse for the UK's top museum prize, with judges weighting its £244m economic impact and reach across nine in 10 Plymouth schools above the prestige of central London heavyweights. The £120,000 prize and recognition give The Box leverage to build on a 356,000-visitor season — already above its own 300,000 target.
