Museums Change Lives Awards 2023

This category will recognise the best practice in the field of social impact by a museum within the period of eligibility.

The judges will be looking for high quality innovative work that reflects one or more of the themes of Museums Change Lives: Enhancing health and wellbeing; Creating better places to live and work; and/or Inspiring engagement, debate and reflection.  

Judges will look in particular for projects that:

• Work in partnership with other organisations to deliver positive outcomes
• Have a clear link to the museum’s collection and/or venue
• Support community cohesion and work in collaboration with local groups
• Diversify the museum’s audience
• Enable audiences to take action or change behaviour in response to the work
• Use research to underpin project delivery and outcomes
• Are relevant to major current social or environmental issues

Museums applying for this award can also apply for any of the other institutional awards, subject to eligibility.

This category will recognise the best example of work delivering social impact. It is only open to museums with an operating budget of less than £320k p.a. in the most recent completed financial year.

The judges will be looking for high quality innovative work that is designed to deliver social impact. Applicants should show how their work reflects one or more of the themes of Museums Change Lives: Enhancing health and wellbeing; Creating better places to live and work; and/or Inspiring engagement, debate and reflection.

Museums applying for this award can also apply for any of the other institutional awards, subject to eligibility.

This category will recognise the best example of a museum using decolonising practice to recognise the impact of the legacy of empire and slavery in any area of its activities. This could relate to work on collections, buildings and places, the museum’s workforce or collaborative practices.

Judges will look in particular for projects or work that:

• Clearly demonstrate how their work helps to decolonise their institution or area of work
• Align with the principles of decolonising practice set out in the MA’s guidance, Supporting Decolonisation in Museums
• Clearly demonstrate collaboration and partnership working with target audiences/stakeholders
• Clearly demonstrate how the museum implemented its plans and embedded long-term change
• Have a clear link to the museum’s collection and/or venue

Museums applying for this award can also apply for any of the other institutional awards, subject to eligibility.

This award will recognise the contribution of an individual who has advanced the cause of delivering social impact in one or more museums.

The judges will be looking for evidence of how the individual has actively contributed in the past year to the delivery of one or more of the themes of Museums Change Lives: Enhancing health and wellbeing; Creating better places to live and work; and/or Inspiring engagement, debate and reflection.

It is open to employees, freelancers or volunteers.

You can nominate yourself or another person. The nominee must be a member of the Museums Association.