Plymouth's The Box wins 2026 Art Fund Museum of the
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- The Box in Plymouth won the 2026 Art Fund Museum of the Year, the world's largest museum prize worth £120,000, with judges calling it "a revelation" and "a true jewel in the crown of the south-west".
- Since opening in 2020, The Box has welcomed more than 1.3 million visitors, generated £244m for Plymouth's economy, delivered £100m in health and wellbeing benefits, and engaged with 89% of the city's schools.
- June Sarpong, a judge and broadcaster, presented the award to Victoria Pomery, The Box's chief executive, at a ceremony onboard the Cutty Sark at Royal Museums Greenwich on Thursday night.
- Jenny Waldman, Art Fund director and chair of judges, cited a Devonport community programme in which The Box mailed a postcard to every resident inviting them to contribute artefacts — a "massive response" that added social history items to the collection.
- The Box was one of five finalists alongside the Fitzwilliam Museum, National Gallery, Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery and V&A East Storehouse — each of which receives £20,000 as a runner-up prize.
- Recent and upcoming programming includes Osman Yousefzada's exhibition "When Will We Be Good Enough?" engaging with colonial histories, Jeremy Deller's "Hello Sailor!" public-realm project, and summer shows featuring Barbara Hepworth, Chris Ofili and Gillian Ayres.
Why it matters: The Box was launched after a £48m capital investment and has since returned £244m to Plymouth's economy plus £100m in health and wellbeing benefits, per a report cited by judges — concrete evidence that long-term, community-focused civic investment can outperform expectations. Its win over the National Gallery and Fitzwilliam signals that Art Fund's judges prize social impact and local engagement, not just provenance or scale.
