The Box in Plymouth has won the 2026 Art Fund Museum of the Year award, taking the £120,000 prize at a ceremony aboard the Cutty Sark in London. Judges praised its inclusive, community-focused work and said it has had major cultural and economic impact since opening in 2020.
Plymouth's the Box has won the 2026 Art Fund Museum of the Year award, taking the £120,000 top prize at a ceremony aboard the Cutty Sark in London.
Victoria Pomery, chief executive of the museum, accepted the award on Thursday evening after judges praised The Box for an ambitious, inclusive and audience-focused approach.
Why The Box won
The judges said The Box stood out for the scale of its community reach and the way it has positioned itself as a civic museum for Plymouth. Since opening in 2020, it has welcomed more than 1.3 million visitors and engaged with 89% of the city's schools.
The museum combines gallery, archive and museum functions to tell Plymouth's story through more than 2 million artworks, objects and archival materials.
Judges also highlighted outreach work in Devonport, including a postcard invitation campaign aimed at local residents.
From shortlist to winner
The Box had been one of five finalists announced in April, alongside the Fitzwilliam Museum, the National Gallery, Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery, and V&A East Storehouse.
The other four finalists will each receive £20,000, while the winner takes the £120,000 top award.
The shortlist reflected a contest that mixed major national institutions with a regional museum that has built a large local audience in just six years.
Wider significance
A report cited by The Guardian said The Box has helped boost Plymouth's economy by £244 million. The museum's 2025 programme included exhibitions by Osman Yousefzada and Jyll Bradley, along with a collaboration involving Jeremy Deller.
The win gives Plymouth a major cultural prize and strengthens The Box's profile as a national museum with a strong local mandate.
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Initial automated publication.