The UMAC Award of Excellence recognises outstanding and innovative projects in university museums and collections worldwide, celebrating their impact on universities, communities, and society.

 

 

Applications are now open and will be accepted until 20 July 2026.

 

Eligibility

Projects and initiatives eligible to the UMAC AWARD must be less than 3 years old at the time of the nomination. They may cover all areas of museums and collections theory and practice, including exhibition, education, conservation, teaching, research, management and business models, design and architecture, ethics, service to the university and the public, strategic planning, and advances in museology.

All university museums and collections are eligible regardless of their location, type or size. Nominees do not have to be UMAC members. However, they must be nominated by two financial ICOM members. On a nominee’s application, the two nominators cannot use the same institutional membership number. UMAC Board members are unable to act as nominators for any entries. 

Criteria

Projects or initiatives nominated must demonstrate:
i) innovation/creativity;
ii) excellence;
iii) transferability of ideas that can be adopted by other university museums and collections regardless of geography, size or location; and
iv) impact on the host university, the community or society at large.

Nominations must be submitted by two UMAC members in good standing. Nominators can nominate themselves. If you are thinking of making a nomination, please read the UMAC Award Rules.

Nominations for the UMAC Award 2026

The nomination form can be accessed here 

UMAC-AWARD-2026-Nomination-Form.-ENG

 

See examples of UMAC Award winners here:

Do you have questions about the UMAC Award?

Contact the Chair of the UMAC Award Committee: Joshua Gorman