The Art Fund Prize has rebranded itself Museum of the Year and changed its criteria for applications.
The qualification for entry used to be a redevelopment or project completed in the previous 12 months. Now all accredited museums and galleries can apply. The £10,000 Clore Award for Learning has also been merged with the main prize.
The winner can now be selected only from the 10 Museum of the Year finalists.
Nick Winterbotham, chairman of the Group for Education in Museums, said he was pleased that the Clore Duffield Foundation was still championing learning, but concerned that smaller museums might not apply.
“The real genius in learning innovation is often developed by professionals who would not be able to muster support for a full-scale award campaign,” he said.
A spokeswoman for the Art Fund said the aim of the new approach was to streamline the process and encourage more applicants. The judging panel will be chaired by Stephen Deuchar, the director of the Art Fund, which finances the prize.
Judges include writer Bettany Hughes, historian and MP Tristram Hunt and the artist Bob and Roberta Smith.
The qualification for entry used to be a redevelopment or project completed in the previous 12 months. Now all accredited museums and galleries can apply. The £10,000 Clore Award for Learning has also been merged with the main prize.
The winner can now be selected only from the 10 Museum of the Year finalists.
Nick Winterbotham, chairman of the Group for Education in Museums, said he was pleased that the Clore Duffield Foundation was still championing learning, but concerned that smaller museums might not apply.
“The real genius in learning innovation is often developed by professionals who would not be able to muster support for a full-scale award campaign,” he said.
A spokeswoman for the Art Fund said the aim of the new approach was to streamline the process and encourage more applicants. The judging panel will be chaired by Stephen Deuchar, the director of the Art Fund, which finances the prize.
Judges include writer Bettany Hughes, historian and MP Tristram Hunt and the artist Bob and Roberta Smith.