The Museums + Heritage Awards is a highlight of the attractions calendar, with the overall winners announced at a ceremony in May. We found out what makes some of the shortlisted projects so special
People profile: Damien Hirst
Turner Prize-winning artist Damien Hirst exhibits a series of spot paintings and huge sculptures at a Norfolk stately home
People profile: Penka Kouneva
Movie and video game composer Penka Kouneva moves into the world of attractions with the Heroes and Legends exhibit and VR installations
Industry Opinion: Zoos & Aquariums
WAZA’s Sabrina Brando on providing animals with opportunities for choices, stimulating environments and enriching activities
Interview: Sultan Al Dhaheri
With the launch of Warner Bros World and
the Louvre in Abu Dhabi, the Department
of Culture and Tourism’s Sultan Al Dhaheri
explains how investing in attractions is
helping the emirate meet its tourism goals
Animal sanctuaries: Paws for Thought
The UK’s Big Cat Sanctuary is the subject
of a recent BBC documentary. Managing
director Giles Clark explains how the
facility works – and introduces Maya
the jaguar and Willow the cheetah
Science Centres: Getting Engaged
Researchers Dr Amy Seakins and
Dr Heather King explain how science
capital empowers science centres
to engage wider audiences in STEM,
plus European initiatives in action
Digital art: Light Fantastic
Tokyo-based digital art collective teamLab is
on a mission to change the way we interact
with and experience art. Magali Robathan
reports on the group’s installation work
and their upcoming museum launch
Jean-Marc Blais, director general, Canadian Museum of History
Opened in 2017, the museum’s revamped Canadian History Hall tells Canada’s story through varied experiences and from different perspectives.
GSM Project handled the makeover, with the exhibition setting leading standards in universal accessibility.
“We set out to present an in-depth and authentic history of Canada, to understand where we came from and how we got here – including both successes and failures of the past, with a narrative that could withstand scholarly scrutiny. The story is as complete and honest as we could build at this moment”
Canadians walk through 15,000 years of history in the Canadian History Hall
Grant Museum of Zoology, UCL The Whale Weekender
Shortlisted - Project on a limited budget
Jack Ashby, manager, Grant Museum
Members of the public were invited to the Grant Museum of Zoology, London, to help rebuild a northern bottle-nosed whale skeleton. People who attended the weekender got to meet museum conservators while assisting with the cleaning and documentation of the 157-year-old bones.
“It is so rare to be able to give visitors a chance to do real, meaningful conservation work. The skeleton was so big it had been scattered across several storerooms. It hadn’t been put together since it arrived at the museum: we had no idea how complete it was. But 800 visitors painstakingly removed 157 years’ worth of dust and grime, identified each bone and rebuilt the skeleton. It was incredible teamwork”
The hands-on initiative reached out to the local community and invited them to
get involved
Holland Open Air Museum / Kossman.dejong The Canon of Dutch History
Shortlised - International Award
Herman Kossmann, founder and creative director, Kossmann.dejong
Exhibition design firm Kossmann.dejong has been shortlisted for a 2,000sqm presentation in the Arnhem, Netherlands, museum. The Canon of Dutch History is a list of 50 topics that summarises and covers Dutch history from megaliths to the modern day. Through a combination of decors, objects and film fragments, visitors are invited to actively uncover information using hands-on elements and interactive games.
“We imagined the exhibition as a multimedia film set. The theatrical combination of physical, interactive and audiovisual media with unique collection presentations results in an engaging and fascinating visual narrative. The carefully reconstructed spatial collage of Dutch historic icons is interwoven with stories from everyday people, giving visitors an in-depth experience of the past from today’s perspective”
PHOTOS: Thijs Wolzak
The Canon of Dutch History, the nation’s list of 50 topics that summarise its past, comes to life as an exhibition at Holland Open Air Museum
Science Museum Group Space Descent VR with Tim Peake
Shortlisted - Innovation Award
Mark Cutmore, head of commercial experiences, Science Museum Group
Working with Alchemy VR and astronaut Tim Peake, the Science Museum, London, developed an immersive experience that puts visitors in the pilot’s seat of a Soyuz capsule. Guided by Peake, the VR experience tracks his 400km journey from the International Space Station back to Earth. “It truly is very close to the real thing,” Peake says.
“VR allowed us to bring Tim Peake’s spacecraft to life in a spectacular way. The capsule is one of our most iconic objects and we’re using VR to create a firsthand experience of a journey only a tiny number of highly-trained astronauts have ever made. It’s proven incredibly popular with visitors across the UK and it’s attracting the attention of museums abroad who want to share it with their own visitors”
Astronaut Tim Peake tests the VR experience
Vardemuseums / Tinker Imagineers TIRPITZ Museum
Shortlisted - International Award
Erik Bär, partner and director, Tinker Imagineers
Architects BIG transformed a former German WWII bunker into a cultural complex camouflaged among the protected dunes of Blåvand, Denmark, while Tinker Imagineers created the museum’s exhibitions, which showcase permanent and temporary themed experiences dedicated to exploring Hitler’s European defence project, the Atlantic Wall and 100,000 years of coastal history.
“TIRPITZ was a unique opportunity to combine nature and culture in a spectacular fashion. A visit to the museum is not a visit to an exhibition gallery, but a scenic journey through time and space of West Jutland. The idea is that the whole place itself comes to life following the rhythms of nature”
TIRPITZ Museum houses sunken galleries, exhibition areas and an events venue
Tate/ Preloaded / HTC VIVE Modigliani VR: The Ochre Atelier
Shortlisted - Innovation Award
Hilary Knight, head of digital content, Tate
Part of London’s Tate Modern’s Modigliani retrospective, visitors were able to immerse themselves in the Ochre Atelier – a VR experience that reimagined the artist’s Parisian studio where he lived and worked before his death in 1920. In the studio, visitors could interact with virtual artefacts, artworks and materials the artist used.
“We wanted to give visitors an experience which would help them understand Modigliani as a man as well as an artist. Transporting people into the space where he lived and worked, they felt a profound sense of empathy with him. A form of exhibition interpretation that’s as much about feelings as facts and information, it gave visitors new ways to connect with the artist and his work”
Visitors were immersed in a virtual recreation of Modigliani’s final studio, which used the actual studio space as a template
Chiltern Open Air Museum Literacy Theme Days for Primary Schools
Shortlisted - Educational Initiative Award
Cathy Silmon, head of learning, Chiltern Open Air Museum
The museum’s theme days aim to engage young writers by bringing the historical context, characters and settings of a story to life. Different theme days offered at the facility in southeast England are based on stories from different periods of history, for example, The Little Red Hen, Wolf Brother and Goodnight Mr Tom. Children explore museum buildings and meet costumed characters from the stories.
“When a context is explored and brought to life, children feel empowered and it is this ‘empowering’ that makes a real impact on the quality of their writing”
Schoolchildren get to meet characters
from the story
Royal Museums Greenwich Armada Portrait of Elizabeth I
Shortlisted - Restoration/ Conservation Award
Elizabeth Hamilton-Eddy, senior paintings conservator, Royal Museums Greenwich
The Armada Portrait of Elizabeth I received an extensive treatment before being returned to the Queen’s House at Greenwich, London. The large-scale oil painting, created in the 1590s, has been publicly owned since 2016, thanks to a funding appeal that raised £10m, including £7m from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). It then underwent six months of complex and comprehensive conservation.
“The conservation of the Armada Portrait has provided a unique opportunity to examine the original paint layers and later changes in detail whilst undertaking the removal of layers of old varnish to reveal the brilliance of the colours”
PHOTOS: National Maritime Museum
The panel painting represents the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588
Museum of Islamic Art / Berlin State Museums The Syria Initiative
Shortlisted - International Award
Stefan Weber, director, Museum of Islamic Art
The Syria Initiative of the Museum of Islamic Art in the Pergamon Museum Berlin aims to promote and document the Syrian cultural heritage, each project dealing with a special aspect of both tangible and intangible Syrian culture. In order to raise awareness and appreciation for the Syrian cultural heritage, the museum has implemented extended documenting, archiving and damage assessment. In addition, the free guided tours invite refugees to explore the artefacts exhibited, discover common origins between cultures, find their own creative expression at workshops, discuss their cultural heritage and share their personal memories.
“Our vision is to create a sense of common ownership of cultural heritage. Syrians are involved at all levels of our activities and are decisively leading the development of the projects in the Syria Initiative. We want to engage new audiences with the museum in the ongoing discussions about cultural heritage in conflict and social responsibility”
PHOTO: Kaveh Rostamkhani
The museum aims to raise awareness and appreciation
for Syrian heritage
Royal Parks Speak Up!
Shortlisted - Education Innitiative Award
Ledy Leyssen, head of learning, Royal Parks
Speak Up! The Hyde Park Debating Challenge engaged hundreds of secondary students from seven London schools in a debating programme inspired by Speakers’ Corner. Young people had the opportunity to improve their reasoning and presentation skills, inspired by the rich history of a pivotal landmark of the famous park.
In partnership with Debate Mate, the project launched in April last year with hands-on heritage activities, followed by dozens of workshops, and culminated with a celebration event last summer. The day saw hundreds of students preparing their motions and debating on topics chosen by them and their peers, surrounded by their families and the public.
The Royal Parks learning programme offers a wide range of events to help young people explore and discover the parks’ landscapes and heritage.
“Speak Up! gave young people the skills and support they needed to voice their ideas with passion and conviction. And no better place to do it than at Speakers’ Corner, a living reminder of our right to speak freely and be heard”
Hundreds of London students took part in the challenge while learning about Speakers’ Corner
The Museums + Heritage Awards is a highlight of the attractions calendar, with the overall winners announced at a ceremony in May. We found out what makes some of the shortlisted projects so special
People profile: Damien Hirst
Turner Prize-winning artist Damien Hirst exhibits a series of spot paintings and huge sculptures at a Norfolk stately home
People profile: Penka Kouneva
Movie and video game composer Penka Kouneva moves into the world of attractions with the Heroes and Legends exhibit and VR installations
Industry Opinion: Zoos & Aquariums
WAZA’s Sabrina Brando on providing animals with opportunities for choices, stimulating environments and enriching activities
Interview: Sultan Al Dhaheri
With the launch of Warner Bros World and
the Louvre in Abu Dhabi, the Department
of Culture and Tourism’s Sultan Al Dhaheri
explains how investing in attractions is
helping the emirate meet its tourism goals
Animal sanctuaries: Paws for Thought
The UK’s Big Cat Sanctuary is the subject
of a recent BBC documentary. Managing
director Giles Clark explains how the
facility works – and introduces Maya
the jaguar and Willow the cheetah
Science Centres: Getting Engaged
Researchers Dr Amy Seakins and
Dr Heather King explain how science
capital empowers science centres
to engage wider audiences in STEM,
plus European initiatives in action
Digital art: Light Fantastic
Tokyo-based digital art collective teamLab is
on a mission to change the way we interact
with and experience art. Magali Robathan
reports on the group’s installation work
and their upcoming museum launch
Jean-Marc Blais, director general, Canadian Museum of History
Opened in 2017, the museum’s revamped Canadian History Hall tells Canada’s story through varied experiences and from different perspectives.
GSM Project handled the makeover, with the exhibition setting leading standards in universal accessibility.
“We set out to present an in-depth and authentic history of Canada, to understand where we came from and how we got here – including both successes and failures of the past, with a narrative that could withstand scholarly scrutiny. The story is as complete and honest as we could build at this moment”
Canadians walk through 15,000 years of history in the Canadian History Hall
Grant Museum of Zoology, UCL The Whale Weekender
Shortlisted - Project on a limited budget
Jack Ashby, manager, Grant Museum
Members of the public were invited to the Grant Museum of Zoology, London, to help rebuild a northern bottle-nosed whale skeleton. People who attended the weekender got to meet museum conservators while assisting with the cleaning and documentation of the 157-year-old bones.
“It is so rare to be able to give visitors a chance to do real, meaningful conservation work. The skeleton was so big it had been scattered across several storerooms. It hadn’t been put together since it arrived at the museum: we had no idea how complete it was. But 800 visitors painstakingly removed 157 years’ worth of dust and grime, identified each bone and rebuilt the skeleton. It was incredible teamwork”
The hands-on initiative reached out to the local community and invited them to
get involved
Holland Open Air Museum / Kossman.dejong The Canon of Dutch History
Shortlised - International Award
Herman Kossmann, founder and creative director, Kossmann.dejong
Exhibition design firm Kossmann.dejong has been shortlisted for a 2,000sqm presentation in the Arnhem, Netherlands, museum. The Canon of Dutch History is a list of 50 topics that summarises and covers Dutch history from megaliths to the modern day. Through a combination of decors, objects and film fragments, visitors are invited to actively uncover information using hands-on elements and interactive games.
“We imagined the exhibition as a multimedia film set. The theatrical combination of physical, interactive and audiovisual media with unique collection presentations results in an engaging and fascinating visual narrative. The carefully reconstructed spatial collage of Dutch historic icons is interwoven with stories from everyday people, giving visitors an in-depth experience of the past from today’s perspective”
PHOTOS: Thijs Wolzak
The Canon of Dutch History, the nation’s list of 50 topics that summarise its past, comes to life as an exhibition at Holland Open Air Museum
Science Museum Group Space Descent VR with Tim Peake
Shortlisted - Innovation Award
Mark Cutmore, head of commercial experiences, Science Museum Group
Working with Alchemy VR and astronaut Tim Peake, the Science Museum, London, developed an immersive experience that puts visitors in the pilot’s seat of a Soyuz capsule. Guided by Peake, the VR experience tracks his 400km journey from the International Space Station back to Earth. “It truly is very close to the real thing,” Peake says.
“VR allowed us to bring Tim Peake’s spacecraft to life in a spectacular way. The capsule is one of our most iconic objects and we’re using VR to create a firsthand experience of a journey only a tiny number of highly-trained astronauts have ever made. It’s proven incredibly popular with visitors across the UK and it’s attracting the attention of museums abroad who want to share it with their own visitors”
Astronaut Tim Peake tests the VR experience
Vardemuseums / Tinker Imagineers TIRPITZ Museum
Shortlisted - International Award
Erik Bär, partner and director, Tinker Imagineers
Architects BIG transformed a former German WWII bunker into a cultural complex camouflaged among the protected dunes of Blåvand, Denmark, while Tinker Imagineers created the museum’s exhibitions, which showcase permanent and temporary themed experiences dedicated to exploring Hitler’s European defence project, the Atlantic Wall and 100,000 years of coastal history.
“TIRPITZ was a unique opportunity to combine nature and culture in a spectacular fashion. A visit to the museum is not a visit to an exhibition gallery, but a scenic journey through time and space of West Jutland. The idea is that the whole place itself comes to life following the rhythms of nature”
TIRPITZ Museum houses sunken galleries, exhibition areas and an events venue
Tate/ Preloaded / HTC VIVE Modigliani VR: The Ochre Atelier
Shortlisted - Innovation Award
Hilary Knight, head of digital content, Tate
Part of London’s Tate Modern’s Modigliani retrospective, visitors were able to immerse themselves in the Ochre Atelier – a VR experience that reimagined the artist’s Parisian studio where he lived and worked before his death in 1920. In the studio, visitors could interact with virtual artefacts, artworks and materials the artist used.
“We wanted to give visitors an experience which would help them understand Modigliani as a man as well as an artist. Transporting people into the space where he lived and worked, they felt a profound sense of empathy with him. A form of exhibition interpretation that’s as much about feelings as facts and information, it gave visitors new ways to connect with the artist and his work”
Visitors were immersed in a virtual recreation of Modigliani’s final studio, which used the actual studio space as a template
Chiltern Open Air Museum Literacy Theme Days for Primary Schools
Shortlisted - Educational Initiative Award
Cathy Silmon, head of learning, Chiltern Open Air Museum
The museum’s theme days aim to engage young writers by bringing the historical context, characters and settings of a story to life. Different theme days offered at the facility in southeast England are based on stories from different periods of history, for example, The Little Red Hen, Wolf Brother and Goodnight Mr Tom. Children explore museum buildings and meet costumed characters from the stories.
“When a context is explored and brought to life, children feel empowered and it is this ‘empowering’ that makes a real impact on the quality of their writing”
Schoolchildren get to meet characters
from the story
Royal Museums Greenwich Armada Portrait of Elizabeth I
Shortlisted - Restoration/ Conservation Award
Elizabeth Hamilton-Eddy, senior paintings conservator, Royal Museums Greenwich
The Armada Portrait of Elizabeth I received an extensive treatment before being returned to the Queen’s House at Greenwich, London. The large-scale oil painting, created in the 1590s, has been publicly owned since 2016, thanks to a funding appeal that raised £10m, including £7m from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). It then underwent six months of complex and comprehensive conservation.
“The conservation of the Armada Portrait has provided a unique opportunity to examine the original paint layers and later changes in detail whilst undertaking the removal of layers of old varnish to reveal the brilliance of the colours”
PHOTOS: National Maritime Museum
The panel painting represents the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588
Museum of Islamic Art / Berlin State Museums The Syria Initiative
Shortlisted - International Award
Stefan Weber, director, Museum of Islamic Art
The Syria Initiative of the Museum of Islamic Art in the Pergamon Museum Berlin aims to promote and document the Syrian cultural heritage, each project dealing with a special aspect of both tangible and intangible Syrian culture. In order to raise awareness and appreciation for the Syrian cultural heritage, the museum has implemented extended documenting, archiving and damage assessment. In addition, the free guided tours invite refugees to explore the artefacts exhibited, discover common origins between cultures, find their own creative expression at workshops, discuss their cultural heritage and share their personal memories.
“Our vision is to create a sense of common ownership of cultural heritage. Syrians are involved at all levels of our activities and are decisively leading the development of the projects in the Syria Initiative. We want to engage new audiences with the museum in the ongoing discussions about cultural heritage in conflict and social responsibility”
PHOTO: Kaveh Rostamkhani
The museum aims to raise awareness and appreciation
for Syrian heritage
Royal Parks Speak Up!
Shortlisted - Education Innitiative Award
Ledy Leyssen, head of learning, Royal Parks
Speak Up! The Hyde Park Debating Challenge engaged hundreds of secondary students from seven London schools in a debating programme inspired by Speakers’ Corner. Young people had the opportunity to improve their reasoning and presentation skills, inspired by the rich history of a pivotal landmark of the famous park.
In partnership with Debate Mate, the project launched in April last year with hands-on heritage activities, followed by dozens of workshops, and culminated with a celebration event last summer. The day saw hundreds of students preparing their motions and debating on topics chosen by them and their peers, surrounded by their families and the public.
The Royal Parks learning programme offers a wide range of events to help young people explore and discover the parks’ landscapes and heritage.
“Speak Up! gave young people the skills and support they needed to voice their ideas with passion and conviction. And no better place to do it than at Speakers’ Corner, a living reminder of our right to speak freely and be heard”
Hundreds of London students took part in the challenge while learning about Speakers’ Corner
Global Wellness Day (GWD) marked its 15th anniversary on Saturday 13 June 2026, with the
theme: #JoyMagenta – a celebration of the healing qualities of simple gestures and activities
that spark joy.
Global luxury hospitality brand, Six Senses, has partnered with longevity healthcare provider,
HUM2N, to launch a clinic at Six Senses London, at The Whiteley.
As part of its first hotel partnership, Mayrlife – the medical health resort company known for its
site in Altaussee, Austria – has launched a day clinic at the Rosewood Vienna.
Premium London health club, KX Chelsea, will imminently unveil its most significant
redevelopment since its launch in 2002 to create an integrated wellness model combining
training, recovery and relaxation.
Rosewood Le Guanahani St Barth, on the northeast coast of Saint Barthélemy in the French
West Indies, is offering a programme of ocean-inspired yoga classes between 8-14 June to
celebrate Global Wellness Day (GWD).
Hotel de France, located on the British Isle of Jersey, has created a wellness retreat package
that includes a hot yoga session that will take place in Jersey Zoo’s butterfly sanctuary.
The Ritz-Carlton, Langkawi, in Malaysia, has revealed a schedule for Global Wellness Day
(GWD) that includes guided rainforest walks, mindful movement and guided coastal meditation
experiences.
Longevitix, a clinical platform for preventive and longevity medicine, has launched its AI-
powered intelligence system to help physicians deliver continuous, personalised longevity-
focused care at scale.
Atmantan Wellness Centre, an integrative wellness destination in Mulshi, near Pune in India, is
expanding its portfolio by adding a new centre in Hyderabad that will launch between 2028 and
2029.
