Perth Museum has been announced as one of five finalists for Art Fund Museum of the Year 2025, the world's largest museum prize.
Art Fund, the national charity for museums and galleries, annually shortlists five outstanding museums for Museum of the Year.
The 2025 prize recognises inspiring projects and activity from autumn 2023 through to winter 2024. In addition to looking at the overall achievements of the organisation, the judges are tasked with identifying impactful projects that spotlight the wide range of remarkable people, including museum staff and volunteers, who bring museums to life by engaging with communities, families and younger visitors, artists and creatives.
Helen Smout, Chief Executive Officer of Culture Perth and Kinross said: "We are thrilled to be in the running as Art Fund Museum of the Year 2025, and honoured to be the only Scottish museum on the shortlist.
"This nomination belongs to the people of Perth and Kinross, Scotland, and all our staff, volunteers, supporters, and contributors who have helped make Perth Museum a very special place since we opened just over a year ago. We are changing perspectives on what a small, regional museum can achieve. Regardless of who takes home the grand prize, we already feel like winners. Good luck to all of our fellow shortlistees."
Perth Museum, home of the Stone of Destiny, opened in March 2024 following a £27 million development at the former Perth City Hall, telling the story of over 10,000 years of Scottish and world history through a local lens.
Alongside the stone, the Museum displays Perth & Kinross's Recognised Collections of National Significance as well as iconic loans and exhibitions. Perth Museum has welcomed over 250,000 visitors since opening, exceeding its annual visitor target of 167,000 by 50%.
Councillor Grant Laing, leader of Perth and Kinross Council, added: "Perth Museum has been a wonderful addition to the city and this nomination is extremely well-deserved. I would like to thank everyone who has worked so hard to make Perth Museum such a success and am delighted their efforts have been recognised by Art Fund.
"Perth Museum brings our history to life in new and innovative ways with The Stone of Destiny at its heart, and this is complemented by fantastic and thought-provoking temporary exhibitions such as the new Macbeth exhibition which opened last week.
"It has been a huge hit with visitors, attracting more than quarter of a million visitors since it opened, and I am sure it will only go from strength-to-strength going forward."
The four other shortlisted museums are Beamish, The Living Museum of the North (County Durham); Chapter (Cardiff); Compton Verney (Warwickshire); and Golden Thread Gallery (Belfast).
The winning museum, recipient of £120,000, will be announced on 26 June at a ceremony at the Museum of Liverpool, the first time the event will be held outside London. £15,000 will be given to each of the four other finalists - bringing the total prize money to £180,000.
The 2025 judging panel, chaired by Art Fund director Jenny Waldman, includes: Rana Begum (Artist), Dr David Dibosa (Director of Research and Interpretation, Tate), Jane Richardson (Chief Executive, Amgueddfa Cymru - Museum Wales) and Phil Wang (Comedian, Writer, Actor). The judges will visit each of the finalists to inform their decision-making, while each museum will make the most of being shortlisted over the summer through events and activities for new and current visitors.
Art Fund director Jenny Waldman said: "Congratulations to Perth Museum on being shortlisted for Art Fund Museum of the Year 2025. This year's finalists are inspiring examples of museums at their best - deeply connected to their local communities, responsive to the world around them, and alive with energy and ideas. Each one offers a distinctive experience, showing the endless creativity and care that goes into making museums inspiring and exciting spaces for everyone. Art Fund is proud to celebrate their work and support their ambition through Art Fund Museum of the Year. We hope people across the UK will be inspired to visit these remarkable places and museums in their local area to discover the powerful role they can play in our lives."
The prize is funded thanks to the generosity of Art Fund's members who buy a National Art Pass. During the shortlist celebration period (29 April to 26 June), Art Pass holders can enjoy free entry to the new Macbeth exhibition at Perth Museum, and 50% off all paid exhibitions at Perth Museum and Perth Art Gallery year-round.
Macbeth: An Exhibition, 25 April - 31 August 2025, invites visitors to explore the real medieval King Macbeth, and the Shakespearean play that made him a household name. From Birnam Wood and Dunsinane Hill, to the Stone of Destiny used to crown the Kings of Scotland, the story of Macbeth is embedded in Perthshire.
Visitors can get up close to a never-before-displayed 11th century sword from the time of the real King Macbeth, a copy of Shakespeare's First Folio, and first editions of the key historical texts that inspired the play. Cinema fans will also be in for a treat with costumes worn by Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard in the 2015 film Macbeth on display for the first time. From medieval royalty, to court intrigue, to witchcraft trials, to popular culture, this exhibition examines the enduring influence of Macbeth across the centuries.
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