This small London museum has been named best in Europe for 2026 – and it’s free

A small museum in London has been named the best in Europe due in part to how inclusive it is of children.

London gallery Young V&A, a branch of the Victoria and Albert Museum, has been awarded the 2026 Council of Europe Museum Prize because of its empowerment of younger generations.

The council’s prize has been awarded for almost 50 years, and is given to the museum judged to have most contributed to the understanding of European cultural heritage, human rights and democracy.

The museum, which is free to enter, has the largest collection of childhood-related objects in the UK. Some of the most loved items on display include a doll's house collection, a life-size Joey the War Horse puppet, and the original Superman costume worn by Christopher Reeve.

Its three main galleries, Play, Imagine and Design, are suitable for visitors of all ages, with babies able to discover colours, textures and shapes at eye-level, while older children can learn about the collections on display.

Selected by the Council of Europe’s Culture Committee at a meeting on Tuesday, 2 December, in Paris, it was chosen for its balance between playfulness and education, exploring real-world themes such as sustainability and empathy.

Alongside making children feel at home, the Bethnal Green museum was also praised for actively involving children with special educational needs and disabilities.

Committee representative for the Museum Prize, Luz Martínez Seijo, explained that Young V&A is an “outstanding” museum in terms of how it engages visitors “with the themes of human rights, equality, participation and cultural democracy”.

"It conveys a strong message of empowerment of young generations, particularly those from deprived areas who may have limited contact with mainstream and institutional cultural offerings, with experiences that can help them embrace the future with confidence and participate fully in democratic societies,” she added.

Alongside the permanent collection, temporary exhibitions are often held at Young V&A, such as the anticipated “Wallace & Gromit and Friends” display opening in February 2026, which will delve into the world of Aardman stop motion animation.

Beyond the exhibitions, children can also explore their creativity in the performance space and workshop areas.

The prize will be awarded to Young V&A at a special ceremony in Strasbourg in April.

Recent winners of the prize include Euskararen Etxea, the House of Basque Language, in Bilbao, Spain (2025), the Sybir Memorial Museum in Bialystok, Poland (2024) and the Workers Museum in Copenhagen, Denmark (2023).

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