The Wellcome Collection has won the first ever Visitor Welcome Award at the annual Museums + Heritage Awards for Putting accessibility at the heart of Wellcome Collection.
The global awards, which are now in their 23rd year, took place on Thursday May 15 at Hilton Park Lane, London, to celebrate the best in the world of museums, galleries, and cultural and heritage visitor attractions.
This year’s shortlist included entrants from all over the United Kingdom, as well as museums and other cultural organisations in 14 other countries, ranging from Norway to Egypt and Australia and have been chosen by an independent panel of nine judges, who are all well-known in the museum’s world.
In relation to the Visitor Accessibility award, the judges said that the winning organisation is “a leading light in disability discourse in museums and is pushing the boundaries of what excellent, accessible exhibitions look like.” They went on to say that “the Wellcome Collection also collaborates and shares best practice to help others to achieve the same.” For the same award, the Chiltern Open Air Museum was highly commended.
Elsewhere in the award ceremony, a further twenty awards were presented to museums and heritage organisations of all sizes and from all over the world.
They included Best Use of Digital which was won by London Museum for its new website that uses AI to power content relationships between objects & stories; one of two Temporary or Touring Exhibition of the Year awards, defined by budget size, was scooped up by the British Library for Beyond the Bassline: 500 Years of Black British Music and the Museums and Heritage Sector Impact Award was presented to the Heritage Open Days – 30 years of England’s largest festival of history and culture.
The award for Marketing or Communications Campaign of the Year was scooped by the Royal Armouries for its debut on TikTok featuring the viral campaign – Letting Gen Z Write the Marketing Script, and further afield, the International Exhibition of the Year was won by Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT) for Te Puawānanga Science and Technology Centre (New Zealand).
Anna Preedy, Director of Museums + Heritage Awards commented: “What tonight reminds me, more than ever, is that collaboration and inclusivity are not just buzzwords. They’re the foundation of everything that’s good in this sector. The best projects we’ve seen this year don’t just serve audiences; they co-create with them. They challenge the status quo. They invite everyone in.”
SPONSORS FOR 2025:
Marketing & Communications Campaign of the Year sponsored by Cabbells Ltd
Sustainable Project of the Year sponsored by the National Lottery Heritage Fund
Permanent Exhibition of the Year sponsored by Mather & Co
Temporary or Touring Exhibition of the Year sponsored by Marcon Fitout Ltd
Visitor Welcome Award sponsored by Tyg Tickets
Global Accessibility Awareness Day 2025: Inclusion Is the Soul of Hospitality
