GUIDELINES 2021 web www.kidsinmuseums.org.uk email tel 07709 010273 - Kids in Museums
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GUIDELINES 2021 web www.kidsinmuseums.org.uk email award@kidsinmuseums.org.uk tel 07709 010273
Kids in Museums / Family Friendly Museum Award – Guidelines 2021
FAMILY FRIENDLY MUSEUM AWARD 2021
The Kids in Museums Family Friendly Museum Award celebrates museums, galleries, historic homes and heritage attractions
that go the extra mile to provide an excellent family friendly experience.
Launched back in 2004, the award is the only museum award in the UK to be judged by families. Past winners include Leeds
City Museum, People’s History Museum, the Horniman Museum and Gardens and the National Maritime Museum in
Cornwall – to name a few!
In 2020, we held the Family Friendly Museum Award From Home, a unique set of awards for digital museum activities
during the first lockdown. Returning to our usual format, we want to recognise the hard work, innovation and dedication of
museum staff in welcoming families in the periods they have been able to open from October 2019 to June 2021. In
addition we want to continue to acknowledge outstanding digital activities for children and families, as well as those showing
an exemplary commitment to accessibility across their buildings, facilities, programme and staff.
Family Friendly Museum Award – Timeline 2021
27 April Nominations open on our website.
7 June Nominations close at 5pm.
Mid-June Our expert panel meets to whittle our
nominations down to a shortlist.
End of June The shortlist is announced.
“Being on the Kids in Museums shortlist 2018
July- August Undercover family judges visit the shortlisted has been transformational for our very small
museums.
museum, much of which is run by volunteers.
September Judging ends. We work out the five category It has raised our profile beyond the region to a
winners based on the judges’ scores. An
expert panel picks the overall winner from national level which is quite an achievement for
those five category winners. such a small organisation. It has been inspiring
and motivational for all of our staff and volunteers
October The winners are announced at an awards
ceremony. who have been honoured to be shortlisted
alongside the other listed museums in 2018.”
Why should we enter?
helen martinez,
Since Kids in Museums was founded in 2003, we have erewash museum
led significant change in the way museums and heritage
sites welcome and include children, young people and
families. Our Family Friendly Museum Award has become a “As a museum that explores powerful themes,
benchmark for the sector. we may not always have appeared the obvious
choice for a family day out. The accolade of Family
Being shortlisted for the award can raise your profile and Friendly Museum of the Year 2017 has helped
increase your family visitor numbers. It boosts staff to change this view and celebrate the work
morale by recognising your work on a national level. that we do to ensure our experience creatively
Former finalists have told us that the award has changed engages and inspires all visitors. It has given us
perceptions about their venue, acted as a ‘quality mark’ the confidence to develop our offer even further
for their work and provided the motivation and backing and since receiving the award we are delivering a
to develop their family offer further. larger early years programme and multisensory
resources to support SEND visits.”
Several previous winners of the Family Friendly Museum
Award have been invited to speak at conferences in the liz thorpe,
UK and overseas. people’s history museum
Our aim is to work together with our shortlist to reinforce
the message that museums are great places for families
to visit.
Kids in Museums / Family Friendly Museum Award – Guidelines 2021
What are the award categories?
There are five categories of the Family Friendly Museum Award 2021:
Best Small Museum Best Medium Museum Best Large Museum
up to100k visits 100k-400k visits 400k+ visits
Best Digital Activity Best Accessible Museum
New digital activity category New dedicated accessibility category
Please note the size categories are based on pre-COVID-19 visitor numbers from 2019. We’ll check all museums are in
the right category before shortlisting. You can find full criteria on our new categories later in this document.
How do we enter?
There are two ways for museums to enter the Family Friendly Museum Award:
1. We invite members of the public to nominate
their favourite museum through the family nomination “We’re all incredibly proud to have won this
form on our website, which goes live when award in the year of our 10th birthday having
nominations open on 27 April. If your museum is attracted over 2.7m visits. It is a fantastic
nominated by its visitors, we will get in touch recognition by our visitors and the judging panel.
to notify you and offer you the opportunity to I’m particularly thrilled for our front of house
make a full application on behalf of your museum. team, who clearly gave the judges such a warm
It is unlikely that a museum would be shortlisted welcome when they visited.”
on the strength of its family nominations alone, without
further information provided by the museum. “We always strive to make the museum a fun
and accessible place for children and families
2. Museums can make an application for the award and to help young people to connect with the
through the museum application form on our website once collection and exhibitions. That takes a great deal
nominations open on 27 April. A copy of the form is included of time, passion and dedication and it’s a huge
on pages 8-11 to help you prepare your answers. To boost for the team to see that recognised.”
complete this form, you should provide comprehensive
examples of how your museum meets the points of our Kids “It is also a recognition of the great work done
in Museums Manifesto. You should submit only one by the whole service of Leeds Museums and
application for your museum, containing as much detail as Galleries and our wonderful staff across our nine
possible on why your museum is the most family friendly in sites who contribute to our programme. It provides
the UK. evidence of the services commitment towards
providing a welcome to all our users of whatever
We have promotional materials to help you encourage age and background.”
nominations from your visitors, including a feedback form,
poster, press release template and social media graphics. samantha flavin,
leeds city museum
Supporting materials
It is advisable but not essential for museums to send us
supporting materials as set out below. These should
be submitted via email: award@kidsinmuseums.org.uk.
Supporting information can be submitted as a single curated PDF document of no more than 10 sides of A4. This could
include images, information on your family events programme, family feedback, statistics or family resources. Please do not
include web links. We are not able to consider supporting materials of any other format or length.Kids in Museums / Family Friendly Museum Award – Guidelines 2021
Are we eligible to enter?
We welcome applications from UK museums, galleries
and heritage attractions of all sizes, from national “The Family Friendly Museum Award had
museums with teams of curators, to tiny local galleries run definitely helped to increase people’s awareness
by volunteers. Your museum must have signed of us and our visitor figures, combined with
the Kids in Museums Manifesto. Museums do not anecdotal feedback, suggest that being shortlisted
have to be accredited and can enter in consecutive years. helped to boost the number of family visitors
to the Museum during the summer. Forming
Please see full Terms and Conditions at the end of this a partnership with Alex at the Family Holiday
document, as well as category specific requirements. Association has also been extremely positive as
it has helped us to reach new families, who we
How much does it cost to enter? hope to develop a lasting relationship with.”
hannah agass,
There is no charge to enter the award.
museum of the order of st john
How does my entry get judged?
Our expert panel of museum professionals whittles our “In terms of how the shortlisting has helped The
nominations down to a shortlist. In 2019 we received Postal Museum, I think it has raised our profile
over 860 nominations for more than 80 museums. amongst family audiences and also acted as a
‘quality mark’ for our exhibitions, activities and
Undercover family judges then visit each shortlisted programmes – showing that, despite only being
museum during July and August and assess them on how open for a relatively short amount of time, our
well they meet our Manifesto. Their experiences will offer is on a par with the very best family-friendly
decide the winner for each category. museums in the UK. It has also helped convince
otherwise those who still think postal history
Our expert panel will then pick an overall winner. isn’t interesting or appealing to families, and no
longer relevant to children who don’t necessarily
Will I able to get feedback on my entry? send or receive letters.”
Unfortunately, as we are a very small team, we are andy richmond,
not able to provide feedback on individual postal museum
nominations or return any supporting materials.
For our shortlisted museums, we share feedback from our
expert panel and our undercover family judges to help
you develop your family offer in the future.
What happens if we get shortlisted?
We will contact our Family Friendly Museum Award shortlist in advance to work together on a press announcement.
We provide each shortlisted museum with a logo to use in their communications and a communications plan outlining the
key moments in the award timeline.
We ask shortlisted museums to work with us to make the most of their nomination.This includes:
• providing images for us to use in promotional material
• providing a press or social media contact at your museum
• working with us on social media content and press announcements to promote the award
• sending a minimum of two representatives from your museum to attend the awards ceremony
• providing feedback on your experience to help us develop the award in future.
We appreciate that different museums have different levels of capacity and we are happy to support teams with promotional work.Kids in Museums / Family Friendly Museum Award – Guidelines 2021
When is the winner announced?
The winners of each category and an overall winner will be announced at an awards ceremony in October. The format of
this ceremony will depend on the social distancing regulations in force in the autumn. As well as celebrating the achievements
of the museum sector as it recovers from the pandemic, the ceremony will provide opportunities for museums staff to
share best practice.
What do we get if we win?
The winner will receive the Family Friendly Museum Award, as well as a winner logo to use on their website and
communications.
We will showcase the museum on our website and social media throughout the year and promote it as an example of best
practice through our work and training events.
We give all shortlisted museums a certificate to display at their museum.
About Kids in Museums
We are a charity dedicated to making museums open and welcoming to all children, young people and families. We support
and champion family friendly organisations through wide-ranging initiatives, including the Family Friendly Museum Award
and Takeover Day. We invite heritage organisations to sign up to our Manifesto, which sets out simple guidelines for making
museums easy to reach for all ages. www.kidsinmuseums.org.uk
Find us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
If you have any further questions about the Family Friendly Museum Award, please email: award@kidsinmuseums.org.uk
Follow the award on social media using #FamilyFriendlyMuseum. We look forward to receiving your application.
From left to right: Annie Leverton, Kirke Kook and Lynsey Anderson from the Andrew Carnegie Birthplace Museum receive
the Family Friendly Museum Award 2019 from Sam Flavin, a representative from our 2018 winner, Leeds City Museum.Kids in Museums / Family Friendly Museum Award – Guidelines 2021 Best Accessible Museum Our Family Friendly Museum Award has always had a focus on access for all families. This year, for the first time, we have a dedicated award category: Best Accessible Museum. We are looking for a museum that has embedded access for families with additional needs across the whole organisation. This will include, but not be limited to: excellent facilities, supportive and knowledgeable staff, a range of flexible and engaging activities, accessible interpretation and exhibitions, responsiveness to feedback and a commitment to adapt and improve their organisation. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought huge challenges for museums across the world. As UK museums reopen, we want to make sure that access for families with additional needs remains a top priority. There will be one winner of the Best Accessible Museum Category, which can be a UK museum of any size. Our Undercover Family Judges and expert panel will include those with expertise in and lived experience of what makes an excellent museum for families with additional needs. Are we eligible to enter? The eligibility criteria for this category is the same as our normal award, however your museum application must be accompanied by at least one family nomination to enter the Best Accessible Museum category. We are looking for evidence from on-site and digital activity that took place between October 2019 and May 2021. What are we looking for? We are looking for a museum with an all-round excellent visitor experience for families and children with additional needs. Here are some examples of what this might include: Comprehensive pre-visit information on your website. The information needs to be part of an accessible website that includes contact information for families with additional needs to plan their day out. This should include COVID safety measures - for example you might have updated your visual story to show how your space has changed. Accessible facilities throughout your building that are the best you can achieve in the context of your building and budget. For example we understand that not all buildings can have a Changing Places toilet. If this is not possible for your organisation, we would want to know that your staff could signpost a family to the nearest available facility. Flexible ticketing. Do you allow families to get a refund if they can’t come on the day or to transfer their ticket to another day if they have to leave part way through? If you have a shop and / or café, a commitment to accessibility in what these sell and how they are laid out. This could include menu options that cater to a wide range of dietary requirements and sensory friendly shop stock. If this is not possible, we would like to see space where families can eat their own food and get water (if this is COVID-safe). Signage and interpretation that is available in a variety of formats to meet different needs. This could include large print, symbols, BSL, audio description or simple text. It’s important everyone can understand and navigate your museum well. Well-trained, supportive and welcoming staff. We would like staff to have been trained to be disability confident. The welcome offered to families with additional needs can be what makes or breaks a visit. A programme of activities both on site and online that are accessible to all. Although we would love to see activities, events and resources designed for families with additional needs, we also want to see flexibility in your core family offer both online and in your museum that enables all families to join in. Collaboration and representation. We would like to see how your organisation is working with groups of families with additional needs from your local community to develop your facilities and programmes. It would be great to see projects and the results displayed on your website or in your museum. It’s important that families with additional needs see themselves and their stories represented. Evidence that the museum collects and responds to visitor feedback. We would like to see there are a range of ways that families can offer feedback and that you are committed to responding and improving your accessible offer.
Kids in Museums / Family Friendly Museum Award – Guidelines 2021
Best Digital Activity
Last year, our Family Friendly Museum Award From Home celebrated the digital activities created by museums, galleries and
heritage sites to support families during lockdown.
We want to continue to recognise outstanding digital content for children and families with our new Best Digital Activity
category. This is open to all kinds of digital activities designed for young people and families to enjoy together in their spare
time. This could include games, quizzes, online festivals, craft activities, science demonstrations, live broadcasts or something
else!
Are we eligible to enter?
The category is open to all UK museums, galleries and heritage sites. Unlike last year, this category is unfortunately no longer
open to international entrants.
If you entered and were shortlisted for the Family Friendly Museum Award From Home last year, you cannot re-enter the
same activity for this year’s award.
The activity that you are entering must have been created and promoted to families in the last year.
It must be possible for Kids in Museums to access the activities that you submit between June and October 2021. For
activities on websites and social media, please make sure the appropriate pages remain live, or that any live sessions are
recorded. If you are not able to provide a web link, you can send files to us via WeTransfer or DropBox:
award@kidsinmuseums.org.uk
What are we looking for?
Our focus is not on projects with huge budgets or expensive websites, but on imaginative and accessible digital content
designed for families to do in their free time.
Your activity should be hosted and promoted to families via online platforms and bring the best of your museum and its
collections to them at home. It should be entertaining for children and allow families to create memories together.
We want to see your resource has effectively reached its audience. We will ask for examples of how you have promoted
the resource in your application, such as through social media, digital advertising or newsletters.
We want to see that you have consulted families and that your activity has been designed with families’ needs in mind. Have
you asked families for their views and responded to their feedback? It would be great to see that you have shared their
responses to your activity where appropriate.
It is also important to us that your content is as accessible as possible. This relates to both whether your activity can be done
by people of varying abilities and resources, and if the digital content itself is accessible. For example, your activities should
not require families to buy any high spec equipment or expensive resources.
One of our 2020 family judges tries out an at home activity.Kids in Museums / Family Friendly Museum Award – Guidelines 2021 MUSEUM APPLICATION FORM Below you can find a template of our online form to help you prepare your answers in advance. You will still need to complete the online form to make your application. The form includes text boxes with text limits. Please note that the text box will stop allowing you to type once you have reached the character limit. If you are cutting and pasting into the form, please check the end of the answers in these text boxes to ensure text hasn't been cut off. Thank you. Museum Application Form First name of person making application Last name of person making application Job title of person making application Email address of person making application Phone number Quick questions about your museum Name of museum Museum website Museum address Country - Please let us know whereabouts your museum is located in the UK (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales). Organisation Twitter handle Organisation Facebook page Organisation Instagram profile Are you an accredited museum? Yes Currently working towards accreditation No Have you signed the Kids in Museums Manifesto? If you have not signed the Manifesto yet, we will ask you to sign up as part of the process of entering the Award. Yes No Don't know Does your museum have any of the following? Youth Panel Family Panel Access Panel Young Trustees or Family Trustees Does your museum have an action plan to address the Climate and Ecological Emergency? Yes In the process of writing one No Continued on next page. (1/4)
Kids in Museums / Family Friendly Museum Award – Guidelines 2021 MUSEUM APPLICATION FORM On your website, do you have any of the following? Information about how you have made visits COVID safe Bespoke pre-visit information for families Access information Please describe your museum in 100 words. You could include information about the collection, the exhibitions and events it runs, the size of the staff and volunteer team or anything else you think is important about the museum. (Character limit: 700 characters) Application category - Please note these visitor numbers are based on pre-COVID-19 visitor numbers from 2019. Best Small Museum: Up to 100k visits per year Best Medium Museum: 100k - 400k visits per year Best Large Museum: 400k + visits per year Best Accessible Museum Best Digital Activity Questions for Small, Medium or Large Museum Categories The following questions are for the above award category only. Please skip to the next page for other category questions. Please tell us why you think the museum for which you're making an application is the most family friendly museum in the UK? Please use no more than around 200 words. This will be the summary that the shortlisting panel read before they delve further in to your nomination. Please use it to highlight the things that you think make your museum most friendly and welcoming to families. (Character limit: 1,200 characters) Tell us how your museum meets the Kids in Museums Manifesto. Please tell us how your museum meets the Kids in Museums Manifesto (use about 200 words for each point). 1. Be welcoming. Create an environment where families can explore, have fun and learn together. Make sure staff and volunteers provide a warm welcome and make all interactions with visitors friendly and informative. Include things that can be touched and make labels clear to explain when they can't. Welcome enthusiastic comments and always keep instructions positive. (Character limit: 1,200 characters) 2. Make it easy and comfortable. Think about your facilities and spaces from a family's perspective. Have seating for all generations to enjoy a rest. Can you provide a picnic area, make your cafe family friendly or direct people to reasonably- priced eateries nearby? Having baby changing facilities, a breastfeeding welcome attitude, booster steps in your toilets and somewhere to keep buggies is important for those with younger visitors. (Character limit: 1,200 characters) 3. Remember families come in all shapes and sizes. Consider what different family members need from their visit and provide ways for them to explore together. Families can include under 5s, young people, parents, carers, grandparents, cousins and friends. Reflect this diversity in your activities, displays and ticketing. (Character limit: 1,200 characters) 4. Be accessible to all. Ensure all your visitors are equally supported and welcomed. Families face many challenges when visiting museums, including the cost of a visit and language and cultural barriers. For those with disabilities, it may be difficult to access your space and its collections. Ask a range of children, young people and families how you can better communicate with them and make their visit easier. (Character limit: 1,200 characters) Continued on next page. (2/4)
Kids in Museums / Family Friendly Museum Award – Guidelines 2021 MUSEUM APPLICATION FORM 5. Communicate well. Make sure you let families know everything you have to offer then. You can do this through outreach visits, posters and leaflets and online through your website and social media. Think about where families might find information before a visit and communicate clearly on arrival. (Character limit: 1,200 characters) 6. Work together. Collaborate with children, young people and families as equal partners on events, displays and exhibitions. This will help you to include their stories and give them a stronger sense of ownership. (Character limit: 1,200 characters) Questions for Best Accessible Museum Please tell us about how you have made your museum space and facilities accessible? This could include physical access, your shop and café, signage, facilities such as loos and cloakrooms and outdoor space and car parking. (Word limit: 300 words) Please tell us about how your staff contribute to making your museum accessible? Tell us about the training they have received and how they work to support visits by families with additional needs. (Word limit: 300 words) Please tell us about how you have made your website and online activities accessible. We would like to hear about the information you provide, the accessibility of the website itself and how you have included families with additional needs in your online offer during the pandemic. (Word limit: 300 words) Please tell us about how you make your programme accessible. This could include about special events and openings, adapting your core family offer and accessible resources and interpretation. (Word limit: 300 words) Please tell us about how you work with families with additional needs to collect feedback accessibly and respond to make improvements, co-create new programmes or exhibitions and ensure they are represented and heard across your organisation. (Word limit: 300 words) Questions for Best Digital Activity Name or title of activity Link to activity - Please provide a link that will enable us to access your activity until October 2021. If you need to send a link to a recording of a live session, please email a WeTransfer or DropBox link to award@kidsinmuseums.org.uk What is the target age group for your activity? 0-5 6-10 11-14 15-18 19+ What was the approximate cost of creating your activity? Why do you think this is a great digital activity for families and should win an award? (Word limit: 500 words) Please tell us about why you think this activity has been a great thing for families to do at home. This could be related to how you created it, how you promoted it or feedback you’ve received from families. (Word limit: 500 words) How have you promoted this activity and how many people has it reached? (Word limit: 200 words) Continued on next page. (3/4)
Kids in Museums / Family Friendly Museum Award – Guidelines 2021 MUSEUM APPLICATION FORM For all award categories Press contact If your museum is shortlisted, please tell us who in the organisation we should contact about press and social media. Name of press contact Press contact email Press contact phone number Supporting information Museums can send us two additional documents in support of their application – one containing family nominations and one with further information or images about how they meet the points in our Manifesto. Please make sure you have consulted the award guidance notes on our Family Friendly Museum Award web page for full information on how these should be formatted. We are not able to accept materials in other formats and can only accept documents sent by email. Will you be sending supporting information by email? Yes No Please send your supporting materials to award@kidsinmuseums.org.uk (Please use a DropBox or WeTransfer link for files larger than 5MB.) If you have any problems sending us information electronically, please get in touch: award@kidsinmuseums.org.uk Stay in touch I would like to be added to the Kids in Museums mailing list. Kids in Museums will send you emails about its programmes and forthcoming events. We'll store your data securely, won't pass it on to third parties and you can unsubscribe at any time. Yes No Please add me to the following mailing list(s). Family Mailing List - information about family activities in museums Museum Mailing List - information for museum staff about Kids in Museums resources and programmes Training Mailing List - information about future Kids in Museums training courses Please tell us how you found out about the Family Friendly Museum Award Kids in Museums website Twitter Facebook Instagram Google Previous entrant Colleague CAPTCHA Form End of Museum Application Form. (4/4)
Kids in Museums / Family Friendly Museum Award – Guidelines 2021
terms and conditions
• Any museum, gallery, science centre, historic house or heritage site in the UK that has signed the Kids in Museums
Manifesto is eligible to enter the Family Friendly Museum Award. Sign up on our website.
• Entrance requirements vary for each category. Please check the guidelines above before entering.
• Submission of a nomination will be taken to mean acceptance of these terms and conditions.
• Nominations should be submitted using the web form. If you are unable to use the web form or require it in an
alternative format, please contact award@kidsinmuseums.org.uk
• All nominations must be received by the published closing date: 5pm on Monday 7 June 2021.
• All nominations and applications must be submitted in English.
• One person may nominate more than one museum. Each nomination should be sent on a separate web form.
• Nominations containing illegal, discriminatory or defamatory material will be disqualified.
• The expert panel will comprise representatives from the museum sector, young people, representatives from
community groups and Kids in Museums staff, Trustees and Youth Panel members.
• The winning museums for each category will be decided by feedback from family judges and our expert panel. An
expert panel will pick the overall winner from those five category winners.
• The winning decision is final and no correspondence shall be entered into.
• Copyright in all nominations to the award remains with the respective entrants. However, in consideration of their
• managing the award, each nominee grants a worldwide, irrevocable, perpetual licence to Kids in Museums to feature any
• or all of the submissions in any of its publications, its websites and/or in any promotional material connected to this
• award. Illegible, incomplete or defaced nominations will not be accepted.
• No responsibility can be accepted for lost nominations and proof of sending will not be accepted as proof of receipt.
• The shortlist and winning museums will be published in 2021.
• The shortlist and winners are required to participate in publicity. This includes:
• providing images for us to use in promotional material
• participating in joint press releases, news stories and social media posts
• providing a press or social media contact at your museum working with us on social media content and press
announcements to promote the award
• sending a minimum of two representatives from your museum to attend the awards ceremony either online or
in person
• providing feedback on your experience to help us develop the award in future.
• Any information provided to Kids in Museums for the purposes of the Family Friendly Museum Award will be
handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy. Data provided will only be used to administer the Family Friendly Museum
Award and will not be stored or used for other purposes unless relevant consent is provided.
• An up-to-date list of the winners’ names will be found on the Kids in Museums website.
• Events may occur that render the award impossible due to reasons beyond the control of Kids in Museums and
accordingly Kids in Museums may at its absolute discretion vary or amend the Award and the nominator agrees that no
liability shall attach to either as a result thereof.You can also read
