The Box in Plymouth has won the prestigious Art Fund Museum of the Year award, the largest museum prize in the world, receiving £120,000. Judges called the venue “a revelation in so many ways” and “a true jewel in the crown of the south-west” for its “ambitious and welcoming approach.”
Record-Breaking Visitor Numbers and Economic Boost
Since opening in 2020, The Box has welcomed more than 1.3 million visitors. According to a report last year, the museum has generated over £100 million in health and wellbeing benefits and boosted Plymouth’s economy by £244 million. It has also engaged with 89% of the city’s schools.
A Museum That Belongs to the People
The prize was presented on Thursday night by broadcaster June Sarpong, one of the judges, at a ceremony aboard the Cutty Sark in London. Sarpong said: “What stood out so strongly with the Box was the sense of pride and connection it has created across Plymouth. From local groups such as the Windrush community to its partnerships with the university, it is a museum that genuinely belongs to the people it serves. Through exhibitions that uncover overlooked histories to welcoming spaces for learning and creativity, the Box is reimagining what being a museum can mean.”
Social and Economic Impact Highlighted
Jenny Waldman, Art Fund director and chair of the judges, said the Box’s social and economic impact demonstrated what long-term investment in culture could achieve. “They’ve become more and more ambitious, inclusive and audience-focused,” Waldman told the Guardian. “And they continue to innovate, becoming more and more loved and valued by their audiences and their principal funder, the local authority.” She noted that museums have a “tremendous responsibility” to care for collections for future generations while presenting them in inspiring and participatory ways.
Community Engagement and Collections
Waldman highlighted a community programme in Plymouth’s Devonport district: “They sent a postcard to every resident inviting them to the Box for a community project, and got a massive response, and gathered a number of artefacts of social history for the collection.” The Box is a museum, gallery and archive that tells the story of Plymouth through its collections of more than 2 million artworks, objects and archival materials.
Exhibitions and Programmes
Its 2025 programme included the exhibition When Will We Be Good Enough? by Osman Yousefzada, which engaged with colonial histories, and Jyll Bradley’s Running and Returning, exploring archives and accessibility. Jeremy Deller’s event Hello Sailor! – developed with the Box as part of his project The Triumph of Art for the National Gallery – brought the museum’s collections into the public realm. This summer, its two big shows are Echoes of Us, featuring works from the government art collection by artists including Barbara Hepworth and Chris Ofili, and Gillian Ayres: A Life in Colour, spanning seven decades of the abstract painter’s work.
Finalists and Recognition
The Box was one of five finalists, alongside the Fitzwilliam Museum (Cambridge), the National Gallery (London), Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery (Norwich) and V&A East Storehouse (London). Each of these will receive £20,000. Waldman concluded: “They are innovative, forward-thinking and pushing the boundaries of what a museum is and can achieve. They prove that investment in culture brings economic and social returns.”
