Five British museums have been shortlisted for the 2025 Art Fund Museum of the Year, the world's largest museum prize. The finalists are Beamish, The Living Museum of the North in County Durham; Chapter arts centre in Cardiff; Compton Verney gallery in Warwickshire; Golden Thread Gallery in Belfast; and Perth Museum in Scotland. Beamish, a 55-year-old open-air museum, recently completed its "Remaking Beamish" project recreating a 1950s town with 32,000 community members. Perth Museum opened in March 2024 after a £27m renovation and houses the Stone of Destiny. The winner will be announced on 26 June at the Museum of Liverpool, receiving £120,000, while each of the other finalists gets £15,000.
The Art Fund Museum of the Year is the most prestigious museum prize globally, and this shortlist highlights the diversity of UK cultural institutions—from immersive living-history museums to contemporary art centres and regional galleries. The prize recognizes museums that engage communities, preserve heritage, and innovate in public programming, as seen in Beamish's community-driven reconstruction and Compton Verney's dementia café and school projects. The award also underscores the importance of regional museums in the UK, with all five finalists located outside London, and reflects ongoing investment in cultural infrastructure, such as Perth Museum's £27m development backed by government funding.