Bethnal Green’s Young V&A Wins Museum of the Year Award

11 July 2024 Samia Uddin

After being shortlisted in May, Young V&A in Bethnal Green has won the Art Fund Museum Award.

The Young V&A in Bethnal Green has won the prestigious Museum of the Year award, securing a £120,000 prize after its renovation and re-opening, last July.

It will come as no shock to locals, who have witnessed the long queues of families every weekend since its reopening.

Formerly the Museum of Childhood, it reopened in July 2023, after a three-year, £13 million renovation. The Museum welcomed over 590,000 visitors in the first nine months after reopening, tripling previous numbers.

This Museum sparks creativity for 0-14-year-olds, offering 2,000 toys, characters, and artworks worldwide. Rooted in its local community with 150 years of heritage, Young V&A energises young creators and supports art and design education for all.

The prize money will be used to enhance community programs for deprived children along the Thames Estuary, working with caregivers, artists, and educators.

Since becoming a children’s museum in 1974, Young V&A now houses the largest collection of childhood objects in the UK.

Jenny Waldman of the Art Fund commended Young V&A for creating an active, empowering, and dynamic museum experience.

The museum features three permanent galleries dedicated to play, imagination, and design.

Chosen from a shortlist of five, Young V&A stood out among contenders like the National Portrait Gallery and Manchester Museum.

Funded by National Art Pass members, the award has recognised Museums annually since 2013.

Newly appointed, Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy praised Museums on X for inspiring lifelong passions for learning, history, and the arts.

Residents of Bethnal Green can take pride in this award as one local, Asma Begum, tells me: ‘Arent we lucky to have such an amazing place just around the corner?’

Another mother pitches in: ‘I’ve only just heard but I think it’s great news! They deserve it. I’m not from around here but I would bring my kids every day if I could. They had a blast there.’

The award win comes just after their first birthday celebration on July 1, 2024. Young V&A will also host a festival this weekend, July 13, to celebrate its first birthday.

If you enjoyed this article, read: Bethnal Green’s Young V&A has been shortlisted for Art Fund Museum of the Year 2024

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