The World’s Most Joyful Museum In London Wins The Museum Of The Year Award

While so many new innovative and exciting museums are opening in different places around the world, there are not so many which would allow one to loudly express emotions and touch everything around.

The Young V&A, located in Bethnal Green, East London, is definitely a special one, and not only because it just won the prestigious Museum of the Year award but also by being truly unique and inspirational in its approach.

More info: The Young V&A

The Young V&A, for many people previously better known as the Museum of Childhood, was described by the judges as ‘truly inspirational’ when it won the Art Fund Museum of the Year award.

Before opening its doors to the public last year in July, the museum took 3 years for renovation which cost about €15 million. Just in the first 9 months after reopening, the new colorful place has already welcomed more than 590,000 people, which is 3 times more than the number of visitors than its predecessor had in the same period of time.

"The Young V&A has done something completely rare, it’s completely reimagined the museum. It started with its target audience and then it fit all the pieces of the museum - the building, the collection, display, interpretation, exhibitions, learning - around that central focus of young people," shared Jenny Waldman, who's the director of Art Fund. "It’s mind-blowing, a brilliant concept perfectly executed. It’s the world’s most joyful museum," she added.

Since creativity, culture, and play have a crucial role in children’s lives, the Young V&A museum is truly excited to continue supporting and spreading imagination in young people's hearts.

Three permanent galleries, called Play, Imagine and Design, are entirely dedicated to children and with over 2,000 objects from 2,300 BC to the present day, they provide unforgettable hands-on experiences such as a story-telling stage, sensory playscapes, optical illusions, an open design studio, a game design space for teenagers, an interactive Minecraft installation, and others.

"I was inspired by the museum’s vision to become a space for the next generation to feel empowered and to imagine their future; a space that will cement museums as places they belong and feel welcome as they grow up, regardless of their background," shared Vick Hope who is a broadcaster and one of five judges of the award.

"In such a short time, the Young V&A’s global impact has been really incredible, demonstrating the potential of what museums can be for children," she added.

With the €142,000 prize money, the Young V&A will be making a positive impact on the community while working with some of the country’s most deprived children in order to create new cultural and playful learning experiences.

"This win is a clarion call for the vital role of creativity, culture and play in children’s lives when so many opportunities have been taken away through the cost-of-living crisis and ongoing under-investment in creative education nationally," explained Helen Charman, who's the director of the museum.

"We recognize the positive impact creative experiences in early years has on young people’s futures - and that’s why we’ll be investing the prize money in founding a creative network and program for early years providers along the Thames Estuary, where a higher proportion of children live in low-income households than the England average," she added.

According to Waldman, the Young V&A radically reimagined the museum by creating active, empowering and dynamic experiences, which are centered on learning through play.

"I give my warmest congratulations to the fantastic team at Young V&A on being crowned Art Fund Museum of the Year 2024. You truly are the world’s most joyful museum and will inspire young people now and for generations to come," Waldman shared.

The Young V&A is known for having the largest collection of childhood objects in the United Kingdom. It belongs to the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A/VAM) family - the world's biggest museum of decorative arts and design which was founded in 1852 and named after Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.

D.W. Winnicott once said: "It is in playing, and only in playing, that the individual child or adult is able to be creative and to use the whole personality, and it is only in being creative that the individual discovers the self," and the Young V&A offers this creative freedom.

Despite the fact that this museum was genuinely designed for kids, it definitely will bring out creativity and the brightest emotions in everyone no matter the age.