Open call for 2023 Outstanding Museum Practice Award
The third edition of the CIMAM Outstanding Museum Practice Award opens today, Friday, June 30, to recognize exceptional practices in museums worldwide that promote excellence in innovation, accessibility, public exchange, and sustainability within the modern and contemporary art sector.
Watch the message from Suzanne Cotter, Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia and Chair of the CIMAM Outstanding Museum Practice Award, encouraging museum professionals and partners who wish to nominate an outstanding museum practice. It is crucial to highlight positive practices and disseminate them to our community as a source of inspiration and a means of collective learning. We strongly encourage you to submit any examples of outstanding museum practice that you are currently developing or are aware of.
The deadline to present nominations is Sunday 1st, October 2023, 22:00 hrs. CEST time.
Who can submit a nomination?
The CIMAM Outstanding Museum Practice Award is open to anyone in the modern and contemporary art museum field who wishes to submit a nomination of an outstanding museum practice or project that should be recognised by CIMAM.
Nominations are invited from museum professionals or institutions nominating another institution. CIMAM membership is not required for a museum to be nominated.
How are nominees selected?
The CIMAM Board will review the nominations and identify three exemplary museum practices as finalists.
All nominated practices will be announced at the CIMAM website.
The three finalists will be announced during at the CIMAM Annual Conference and their projects shared extensively to the press, CIMAM website and social media.
The three finalists will be invited to take part in a webinar dedicated to explain their awarded practice and institution in June 2024.
Should the CIMAM Board deem that none of the nominated museums be suitable for recognition in a particular year, no candidates will be selected.
What are the criteria for nomination?
Practices and initiatives that are exemplary in achieving the mission of the museum or collection through innovative approaches to core activities, including conservation, education, collection, exhibitions, publications, research, public access, communication, governance and sustainability, and fundraising.
Among the criteria for review and recommendation:
- Introduces new forms for presenting collections and exhibitions of modern and contemporary art and their relevance for the publics they serve, their scale, and their context.
- Innovation and sustainability in programs for social outreach, accessibility, and diversity.
- Fulfills and innovates on current standards of museum practice with a vision for a sustainable future.
- New forms of museum practice that address changing social and cultural realities with a view to ensure relevance for museum publics of the future.
- Applications that show a commitment to long-term practices are particularly welcome.
How to submit your nomination?
A nomination form will be available online for completion with the following information:
- Description and explanation of max. 500 words that detail the outstanding nature of the nominated practice.
- Images of the project
- Provide links to the website and other relevant supports.
- Submit your nomination here (the next nomination period will start in 2023)
What happens to selected museums?
The museums selected will receive the public recognition of CIMAM and its members. Information about their work will be accessible on the CIMAM website as examples of outstanding museum practices. They will be also announced and acknowledged during the CIMAM General Assembly held every year during the last day of the Annual Conference in November.