Plymouth's The Box Wins 2026 Art Fund Museum of the Year Award

AI Summary

The Box in Plymouth has won the prestigious Art Fund museum of the year award for its 'ambitious and welcoming approach'. The museum, which opened in 2020, has welcomed over 1.3 million visitors and generated £244m in economic benefits for Plymouth.

The Lead

The Box in Plymouth has won the prestigious Art Fund museum of the year award, the largest such prize in the world, for its “ambitious and welcoming approach”.

Award Details

Awarding it the £120,000 prize, judges called the Box “a revelation in so many ways” and “a true jewel in the crown of the south-west”. The Box is a museum, gallery and archive that tells the story of Plymouth through its collections of more than 2m artworks, objects and archival materials.

Economic Impact

Since opening in 2020, it has welcomed more than 1.3 million visitors and, according to judges, has become “a leading example of what a civic museum can achieve”. It has generated more than £100m in health and wellbeing benefits, and boosted Plymouth’s economy by £244m, according to a report last year, and has engaged with 89% of the city’s schools.

Future Outlook

The Box's 2025 programme included the exhibition When Will We Be Good Enough? by Osman Yousefzada, which engaged with colonial histories, and Jyll Bradley’s Running and Returning, which explored archives and accessibility.