Ecsite is delighted to share the news that two of its members, Naturalis (Leiden, the Netherlands) and CosmoCaixa (Barcelona, Spain) have won prizes at the European Museum of the Year (EMYA) Awards. Futurium (Berlin, Germany) also received a Special Commendation. The winners were announced at the EMYA 2021 online ceremony which took place on Thursday 6 May.
European Museum of the Year 2021
The European Museum of the Year Award goes to a museum which is excellent and innovative on all dimensions and offers its visitors and other users a unique atmosphere, imaginative interpretation and presentation, and a creative approach to education and social responsibility. Naturalis Biodiversity Center is one of the largest museums of its kind, with impressive research record and diverse collections that focus on topics with universal appeal. It is not only an organisation with a long history but also with an agile ability to get transformed. It is a very resourceful museum with beautiful exhibitions and a multitude of public services and events. As such, it is a very popular museum that engages visitors with compelling ways and invites us to feel strong emotions about the world that connects us all and reflect on how we can protect its beauty, preserve its biodiversity and be informed and responsible citizens regarding climate change. (Source: EMYA 2021 website).
Edwin van Huis, General Director of Naturalis Biodiversity Center, said the following:
“It's great that our museum is internationally recognised through this prize. Thank you so much! Fascination for the beauty and diversity of nature, that is the foundation of Naturalis. Thanks to our museum, we can share our love and passion for nature with the public. If people embrace nature, they will also take better care of it. And that is now more necessary than ever!”
To read more about Naturalis, visit their website (available in Dutch and English) or visit the EMYA 2021 page to watch a video.
The EMYA Kenneth Hudson Award 2021
The Kenneth Hudson Award honours the spirit of the founder of EMYA, and goes to a museum, person, project or a group of people who have demonstrated the most unusual, daring and, perhaps, controversial achievement that challenges common perceptions of the role and responsibility of museums in society. The winner of the Kenneth Hudson 2021 award is a museum that likes to continuously reinvent itself and challenge its visitors to think and feel about how they co-create a better world. Its way of work has been acknowledged as exemplary more than once but its curiosity about sciences and their contribution to society is never ending. (Source: EMYA 2021 website).
To find out more about CosmoCaixa and it's interesting history and exciting future, visit their website (in Spanish and Catalan) or the EMYA 2021 page (in English).