V&A Dundee nominated for the European Museum of the Year Award 2020

V&A Dundee has been nominated for the European Museum of the Year Award 2020, one of the world’s most prestigious cultural prizes.

Scotland’s first design museum opened in September 2018 and in its first 12 months welcomed over 830,000 visitors, far in excess of the 500,000 visitors that had been estimated. 

The museum also contributed to a £16 million boost in the value of Dundee tourism in 2018, which at £187 million already exceeds the city’s target for 2020.

V&A Dundee is currently showing the UK exclusive exhibition Hello, Robot. Design between Human and Machine until 9 February 2020, followed by its first major fashion exhibition, Mary Quant, from 4 April 2020.

Philip Long, Director of V&A Dundee, said: “This is a very exciting moment, recognising the international significance of creating Scotland’s first design museum, as well as the huge achievement of everyone who helped to create, open and now run V&A Dundee.

“We are hugely excited to be moving into our second year as an open museum, with our currentHello, Robot exhibition looking at the future of robotics and humanity, and with the hit exhibition Mary Quant exploring the spirit of the 1960s coming soon.”

V&A Dundee is one of only three UK nominees, alongside National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh and St Fagans National Museum of History in Wales. 

Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “I congratulate V&A Dundee and National Museum of Scotland on being shortlisted for the accolade of European Museum of the Year. This is well deserved recognition and cements their place as world-leading attractions.  

“With some exciting exhibitions planned for the coming year, I look forward to seeing them continue to promote Scotland’s design and culture on a global stage.”

Councillor John Alexander, leader of Dundee City Council, said: “I’m delighted that V&A Dundee is in the running for such a prestigious international prize.

“Our stunning museum is now very firmly part of the cultural fabric of the city, with its design galleries and exhibition programme attracting locals and visitors alike in their hundreds of thousands.

“In a little over a year, it has massively raised Dundee’s international profile and played a key part in record-breaking tourism figures – helping to create jobs and new economic opportunities.”

The winner of the European Museum of the Year Award 2020 will be announced at the Annual Conference of the European Museum Forum, hosted by National Museum Cardiff on 2 May 2020.  

Other nominees for the European Museum of the Year Award 2020 include Anne Frank House in the Netherlands and the Athletic Bilbao Museum in Spain.

Former UK winners of the prize include the Design Museum in London (2018), Riverside Museum in Glasgow (2013) and the V&A (2003).

V&A Dundee is currently showing Hello, Robot. Design Between Human and Machine until 9 February 2020, a ground-breaking exhibition challenging our assumptions about robots and investigating how they are shaping the world we live in. The exhibition has never been shown in the UK before.

This will be followed by Mary Quant from 4 April 2020 and Night Fever: Designing Club Culture from 31 October 2020, another UK-first exhibition.

V&A Dundee was developed with support from the Scottish Government, National Lottery Heritage Fund, Dundee City Council, the UK Government, Creative Scotland, Scottish Enterprise, University of Dundee, Abertay University and many trusts, companies and private donors.

For more information, please visit https://europeanforum.museum/annual-conference/nominations-2020/