Nominations open for the Family Friendly Museum Award 2022

Kids in Museums has launched its Family Friendly Museum Award 2022, with a new category recognising the best family engagement team.

The awards have been running since 2004 and celebrate museums that are welcoming, fun and accessible for families.

The five categories for the Family Friendly Museum Award 2022 are:

• Best Small Museum
• Best Medium Museum
• Best Large Museum
• Best Accessible Museum
• Best Family Engagement Team

Nominations are open to anyone and will be used by a panel of museum professionals to create a shortlist.

The Best Family Engagement Team category will be judged entirely by an expert panel. Undercover family judges visit all other shortlisted museums during the summer holidays and assess them on how well they meet the Kids in Museums Manifesto. 

Their experiences will inform an expert panel, who will pick a winner for each category. All winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in October.

“Two years after the pandemic brought life to a halt, it is wonderful to launch the Family Friendly Museum Award 2022 with museums across the UK back open and full of families,” said Alison Bowyer, the executive director of Kids in Museums.

“This year a new category celebrates the special contributions of staff and volunteers who we know have showed great commitment and resilience in bringing enjoyable experiences to families. We encourage families and museums to put their museum’s name forward – you’ve got to be in it to win it.”

Winners of the Family Friendly Museum Award 2021:

• Best Small Museum – Bailiffgate Museum & Gallery
• Best Medium Museum – London Transport Museum
• Best Large Museum – Horniman Museum and Gardens
• Best Accessible Museum – The Postal Museum
• Best Digital Activity – National Museum Wales and The Whitworth

Nominations for the 2022 awards close at 5pm on 6 June 2022.

Kids in Museums has also updated its manifesto following consultation with families and museum professionals.

The set of guidelines was first published in 2003 and more than 1,000 organisations have signed up to show their commitment to welcoming visitors of all ages.

The new manifesto:

• Encourages museums to consider and reflect the diversity of families across their work.
• Emphasises museums as spaces for play.
• Highlights the importance of accessible online information and Changing Places toilets for family visitors with additional needs.
• Promotes the role of museums as active members of their communities, following on from many museums’ work over the pandemic.