The National Waterfront Museum has been shortlisted for the Kids in Museums Family Friendly Museum Award, it was announced today.
Charity Kids in Museums has run a prestigious annual award since 2004, recognising the most family friendly heritage sites in the UK. It is the only museum award to be judged by families.
From February to late April, families across the UK voted for their favourite heritage attraction on the Kids in Museums website. A panel of museum experts, children and young people then whittled down hundreds of nominations to a shortlist of 18 heritage attractions.
The National Waterfront Museum is vying three other museums in the Best Medium Museum Category.
Dr Nicole Deufel – Head of the National Waterfront Museum told us…..
“We’re thrilled and honoured to be nominated, and to be in such excellent company within our category. The National Waterfront Museum has always been a place for families and children to learn, play, explore and discover the stories of the people who made Wales the country it is today.”
The National Waterfront Museum hosts a wide range of family friendly activities and events throughout the year. From crafty make and take workshops, to weekly gardening sessions for kids in our GRAFT garden, to big celebrations like National Play Day and Family Pride. We also offer weekly Quiet Hours at the museum, have sensory backpacks available for visitors to borrow during their visit and a chill out room for those who need somewhere for a calm moment during their visit.
Over the summer holidays, the museum will be visited by undercover family judges who will assess the shortlisted museums against the Kids in Museums Manifesto, a set of guidelines on what makes a great museum visit for all ages. Their experiences will decide a winner for each award category and an overall winner of the Family Friendly Museum Award 2025. The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in October.
We also wish the Dylan Thomas Centre in Swansea the best of luck with their nomination in the Best Small Museum category.
Follow the Family Friendly Museum Award on social media by following @kidsinmuseums and #FamilyFriendlyMuseum.
The Family Friendly Museum Award has been made possible by funding from Arts Council England.
The full list of museums shortlisted for the Family Friendly Museum Award 2025 is……
Best Accessible Museum
- The Beaney, Canterbury
- Eureka! The National Children’s Museum, Halifax
- Worsbrough Mill Museum and Country Park, Barnsley
Best Small Museum
- Abbey House Museum, Leeds
- Dylan Thomas Centre, Swansea
- Experience Barnsley Museum and Discovery Centre, Barnsley
- North Lincolnshire Museum, Scunthorpe
- Showtown Blackpool
Best Medium Museum
- The Amelia Scott, Tunbridge Wells
- Great North Museum: Hancock, Newcastle upon Tyne
- National Waterfront Museum, Swansea
- V&A Dundee
Best Large Museum
- The Burrell Collection, Glasgow
- Horniman Museum and Gardens, London
- London Transport Museum, London
Best Museum Youth Project: Social Justice
- Black Cultural Archives, London
- Glasgow Life Museums
- Wiltshire Museum
