Athens Museum Wins European Art Museum Award 2026

The news in Greek

1. εθνικός
   Αυτό που ανήκει ή σχετίζεται με ένα έθνος ή μια χώρα. ↩︎
2. σύγχρονος
   Αυτό που ανήκει στη σημερινή εποχή ή είναι της ίδιας εποχής με κάτι άλλο. ↩︎
3. βραβείο  (n.)
   Ένα δώρο ή τιμή που δίνεται σε κάποιον για μια επιτυχία ή καλή δουλειά. ↩︎
4. ακαδημία  (f.)
   Ένας επίσημος οργανισμός ή ίδρυμα που ασχολείται με την επιστήμη, την τέχνη ή την εκπαίδευση. ↩︎
5. διευθύντρια  (f.)
   Η γυναίκα που είναι υπεύθυνη για τη διοίκηση ενός οργανισμού ή ιδρύματος. ↩︎
6. δείχνω
   Κάνω κάτι φανερό ή αποδεικνύω κάτι σε κάποιον. ↩︎

Translation

Text comprehension

Question 1: Which museum won the award?

Question 2: Which organisation gave the award?

Vocabulary

Greek	English
εθνικός	national
σύγχρονος	contemporary
βραβείο  (n.)	award
ακαδημία  (f.)	academy
διευθύντρια  (f.)	director
δείχνω	to show

Read the full story

Greece’s National Museum of Contemporary Art (EMST) in Athens has been named the winner of the European Art Museum Award 2026, presented by the European Museum Academy. The award places EMST at the centre of the European museum landscape and is seen as a significant recognition of the museum’s direction and public role in recent years.

EMST was selected from a shortlist of six European museums, competing against internationally recognised institutions including the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the FENIX Museum of Migration in Rotterdam, and the National Gallery of Slovenia in Ljubljana. The European Museum Academy had noted the particularly high standard of this year’s competition when announcing the shortlist.

The jury praised Artistic Director Katerina Gregos and her team for the originality and ambition with which their vision is put into practice across the organisation, as demonstrated by an impressive number of exhibitions that encourage critical thinking. The jury described EMST as “a valuable cultural bridge in an increasingly fragmented world,” noting the museum’s confident focus on the South-East Mediterranean and beyond as a champion of Greek contemporary art.

In her response, Katerina Gregos said the museum was “happy and moved” to receive the award, which she said recognises the museum’s work, vision, and public role. She expressed particular gratitude to the entire museum team, whose dedication and hard work made the distinction possible, and also thanked the Ministry of Culture and Minister Lina Mendoni for their continued support.

The award recognises museums that redefine their role in the 21st century by connecting artistic production with pressing social issues, with emphasis on participation, inclusion, social justice, sustainability, and the empowerment of different communities.

The Greek Minister of Culture also welcomed the recognition, stating that the award confirms Greece is not only a country with invaluable cultural heritage, but also one that produces and supports contemporary artistic creation. She congratulated Gregos, Administrative and Financial Director Athena Ioannου, the Board of Directors, and all staff involved.