The Greek National Museum of Contemporary Art (EMST) in Athens has won the 2026 Art Museum Award of the European Museum Academy, beating significant competition by some of Europe’s most acclaimed museums.
The award ceremony took place in Alicante, Spain, on Saturday evening.
The award recognises museums that embrace new practices and place a strong focus on inclusion, engagement with their audiences and sustainability.
EMST was joined on the 2026 shortlist by other prominent European museums of international standing, including the Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam, the Netherlands), the new FENIX Museum of Migration (Rotterdam, the Netherlands) and the National Gallery of Slovenia (Ljubljana). The list of finalists is complete with Hastings Contemporary (UK) and Museum Gugging (Klosterneuburg, Austria).
“For EMST Athens, it is a wonderful recognition of the work we’ve been doing over the past few years: with an ambitious programme and a museum that is open to its audiences and the different voices within them,” a post on the Greek museum’s Facebook fan page read before the ceremony.
Judges impressed by EMST Athens quality and originality
The quality of the artistic production, the originality of the thinking and the sincere belief that every action of the museum can have a positive impact, contributed to EMST Athens standing out in an extremely competitive field of candidates.
“The artistic director, Katerina Gregou, and her team impressed the judging panel through the originality and ambition with which their vision is translated into practice throughout the organisation, as demonstrated by the impressive number of exhibitions that provoke thought and encourage critical thinking,” commented the Chair of the Awards Committee, Dr Samuel Gallagher. “As an advocate of Greek contemporary art, confidently looking towards the Southeast Mediterranean and the rest of the world, EMST constitutes a valuable cultural bridge in an increasingly fragmented world.”
“EMST does not merely seek to change the way in which the public perceives contemporary art, but also the way in which it perceives its own life and the world in which it lives. Its work is now, and rightly so, regarded as a model towards which other museums can also turn,” he added.
European Museum Academy honours Greek museum founder
Greece took home a second recognition from Alicante on Saturday.
The European Museum Academy has also presented Greek researcher Angeliki Giannakidou, Founder and President of Ethnological Museum of Thrace, with its Longlife Achievement recognition award.
Angeliki Giannakidou has been actively researching the region of Thrace for the past 40 years. She founded the Ethnological Museum of Thrace in 2002, to showcase the culture and history of the region from the 17th century up to the 20th.
She has published books and edited publications on Thrace and has given numerous speeches and lectures all over Greece on the subject of Thrace, produced 25 documentaries and curated various exhibitions both with the museum and as an artist. She is also the main designer and creator of all the museums art creations, with the aim of redesign traditional techniques with a modern aesthetic.
At the same time, Angeliki Giannakidou mentors over 25 women in matters of cultural economy. She is a member of the National Board of Museums in Greece and was awarded in 2021 by the Greek department of UNESCO for her work and impact. Her last venture is Riza, a Network of artisans in Thrace.
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