A UK museum solely for kids has been named the best in Europe.
The Young V&A located in London is a branch of the Victoria and Albert Museum and reopened in July 2023 in East London.
Inside the museum, there are three main galleries which are designed for different age groups: Imagine, Play and Design.
Now the museum has been awarded the 2026 Council of Europe Museum Prize by the Culture Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).
Luz Martínez Seij, committee representative for the Museum Prize, said: “The Young V&A is a clearly outstanding museum in terms of its mission to engage visitors with the themes of human rights, equality, participation and cultural democracy.
“It conveys a strong message of empowerment of young generations, particularly those from deprived areas who may have limited contact with mainstream and institutional cultural offerings, with experiences that can help them embrace the future with confidence and participate fully in democratic societies.”
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Inside the museum, visitors can get creative with programmes that connect design and play with real-world themes such as sustainability.
The museum is also inclusive, with activities available for children with special educational needs and disabilities.
Visitors can attend play sessions, such as Festive Play Saturdays where kids can dress up, dance to music and bring stories to life.
There are family design sessions too, to make items such as Christmas decorations or sequin brooches.
And on February 12, 2026, a major new exhibition will open at the museum.
The exhibition will celebrate the producers of Wallace and Gromit – Aardman’s 50th anniversary year, and allow fans to see scenes from the stop-motion animations and find out how Aardman brings clay to life.
Famous characters on display include Wallace and Gromit, Shaun the Sheep and Morph.
The exhibition will cost around £11 per person to visit.
However, the rest of the museum is free to visit, and is open seven days a week.
To get to the museum, it is just a two-minute walk from Bethnal Green underground.
In 2024 – the museum’s first year of opening – the Young V&A also won the Art Fund Museum of the Year 2024, which is the largest museum prize in the world.
Vick Hope, broadcaster and judge for Art Fund Museum of the Year 2024, said: “Young V&A is such a special and unique place, offering an experience for children (and their adults) like no other out there.
“The museum truly places young people centre stage, encouraging them to play, design and get creative through a fascinating collection of objects and artworks.
“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.”
The Council of Europe Museum Prize has been awarded each year since 1977 to a museum that has made a significant contribution to the understanding of European cultural heritage.
Last year, Euskararen Etxea, the House of Basque Language, in Bilbao, Spain won the award.
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