Young V&A wins Museum of the Year award

The Young V&A has won the 2024 Art Fund Museum of the Year after creating a unique space for children to loudly learn and explore their “creativity and curiosity”.

Billed as turning what museums are thought to be on its head, the facility has been awarded the largest prize of its kind in the world – a whopping £120,000.

This comes after the Young V&A, which houses the largest collection of childhood objects in the UK, became a museum specifically for children back in 1974.

Now containing almost 2,000 objects for children to enjoy and learn from, the museum also reflects its 150-year-long history as East London’s first museum.

The museum, which reopened as the Young V&A after a £13 million refurbishment in 2013, aims to inspire creativity today to support future learning of art and design.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: “Our world-leading museums are a source of creativity and curiosity that can inspire lifelong passions for learning, history and the arts.

“This year’s Art Fund Museum of the Year was a tough competition with an exciting shortlist representing institutions from across the country.

“Congratulations to the Young V&A on this achievement, recognising their hard work to create a unique space dedicated to young people.”

Following the announcement, the museum was praised for having young people personally get involved in creating “the world’s most joyful museum”.

Jenny Waldman, director of the Art Fund and chair of the judges for Art Fund Museum of the Year, said: “Young V&A is a truly inspirational museum. With a brief from its young co-designers to create ‘the world’s most joyful museum’, Young V&A has achieved that and more.

“It has radically reimagined the museum with and for young people, creating a museum experience that’s active, empowering and dynamic, centred on learning through play. Young V&A has established a deep engagement with its local community and, at the same time, it has become an international beacon for what a children’s museum can be.

“I give my warmest congratulations to the fantastic team at Young V&A on being crowned Art Fund Museum of the Year 2024. You truly are the world’s most joyful museum and will inspire young people now and for generations to come.”

The Young V&A contains three permanent galleries dedicated to the subjects of play, imagination and design.

There is also a temporary exhibition space, restored Grade II listed architectural features, and Tower Hamlet’s only accredited Changing Places Toilet – which is fully accessible.

Vick Hope, broadcaster and judge for Art Fund Museum of the Year 2024, said: “The Young V&A is such a special and unique place, offering an experience for children (and their adults) like no other out there.

“The museum truly places young people centre stage, encouraging them to play, design and get creative through a fascinating collection of objects and artworks.

“I was inspired by the museum’s vision to become a space for the next generation to feel empowered and to imagine their future; a space that will cement museums as places they belong and feel welcome as they grow up, regardless of their background.

“In such a short time the Young V&A’s global impact has been really incredible, demonstrating the potential of what museums can be for children around the world – and I can’t recommend it enough for a visit.”

The museum was chosen from a shortlist of five, which also included the Craven Museum (Skipton, North Yorkshire), Dundee Contemporary Arts (Dundee), Manchester Museum (Manchester) and the National Portrait Gallery (London).

These museums will also be recognised with a £15,000 prize each.