The Guardian Family-Friendly Museum Award was introduced in 2003 with a logo designed by Quentin Blake.
The UK's Guardian newspaper has announced the launch of its Family Friendly Museum Award for 2006.
Now in its third year, the 2006 award was launched on April 1 and continues the newspaper’s celebration of UK museums and galleries that make a real effort to provide a family-friendly experience.
“The best thing about the Guardian award is the boost it can give museums, especially smaller, local museums,” explained the Guardian’s Dea Birkett. “Last year's joint winners, the Pitt Rivers and the Oxford Museum of Natural History, increased their visitors by 10,000.”
Birkett established both the award and a ‘Kids in Museums’ campaign in 2003 following a visit with her children to the Royal Academy of Art’s Aztecs exhibition. After her son shouted ‘Monster’ at one of the monstrous statues the group were asked by gallery staff to leave.
After writing about the experience in her Guardian column, a flood of responses came in from readers; some of them fed up with being made to feel unwelcome in the UK’s museums and galleries, others praising the good work museums and galleries do.
2004 Winner Killhope, the North of England Lead Mining Museum in County Durham, explores the life of North Pennine lead mining families.
A 20-point Kids in Museums Manifesto was compiled from reader-visitor comments and in September 2003 the Guardian Family-Friendly Museum Award was launched with a logo designed by Quentin Blake.
“Visitors can nominate huge national museums or their local one room gallery,” added Birkett. “Museums and galleries can nominate themselves. Everyone from visitor to curator is given a voice.”
This nomination and voting process saw Killhope, the North of England Lead Mining Museum, win the inaugural award in 2004. They beat off competition from the V&A, the Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Falmouth Art Gallery and the Museum of Farnham.
In 2005 The Pitt Rivers Museum and Oxford University Museum of Natural History were jointly awarded the title from a short list of museums including Falmouth Art Gallery, the Museum of Farnham, Compton Verney and the Wordsworth Trust.
Award winners in 2005, (left to right) Janet Stott, Andy McLellan and Chris Jarvis - are congratulated by Guardian columnist Dea Birkett. © 24 Hour Museum
"Winning the Family Friendly award was an amazing moment,” said Andrew McClellan, Head of Education at Pitt Rivers. ”Planning and running family events takes a lot of work, but it is very difficult to judge success. This award is a real affirmation of the efforts of education staff, volunteers and front of house."
A judging panel for this year’s award will agree a shortlist, which will be announced in June, and the winner will be announced in the Guardian in July 2006.
The judges include Dea Birkett, Becky Gardiner, Family Editor of the Guardian, Anra Kennedy from the 24 Hour Museum and Mark Taylor from the Museums Association. The Chair of the Judges is Liz Forgan OBE, Chair of the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Scott Trust.
"This Award is all about illuminating and celebrating the fantastic work going on in cultural institutions right around the UK to welcome families of all ages," said 24 HM's Anra Kennedy. "I'm really pleased to be a part of the process again this year - it's always an education to find out what visitors really think of our efforts and what they appreciate most."
Details of this year's award can be found in the 'Family Guide' in the Guardian on Saturday 1 April.
Readers are invited to nominate a museum or gallery, which, in their opinion, offers the very best family-friendly experience, and explain why it should win. Nominations should be sent to The Guardian Family Friendly Museum Award, 119 Farringdon Road, London EC1R 3ER or email kids.in.museums@guardian.co.uk
The closing date for applications is 1 May 2006.
To find out more about the Kids in Museums Campaign and the Guardian'sFamily Friendly Museum Award, go to www.kidsinmuseums.org.uk
