Meet the Finalists

The Vulcan Hotel, an iconic Public House originally located in Cardiff city centre, was rebuilt brick by brick at St Fagans National Museum of History, restored to its 1915 appearance, and reopened in 2024 as a fully working period pub. Using local suppliers and historic recipes, it offers a fully immersive guest experience free from visible modern equipment. Hugely popular with locals and visitors, it generated £86k net profit in its first year, all reinvested into the museum.

The Hat Works Museum Café run by Arc (Arts for Recovery in the Community) is a social enterprise supporting creativity, wellbeing and mental health across Greater Manchester. The café funds Arc’s work while offering inclusive volunteering and employment pathways for NEET young people, neurodivergent individuals, and those facing isolation, providing a safe community space and serves a menu inspired by Stockport’s mill‑town culinary heritage.

In 2024 it was decided to bring in-house The Box‘s previously outsourced catering operation, as it was making no money. The aim was to create a vibrant social hub with high quality food and fantastic local drinks that would translate into a profitable income stream. The new Kitchen & Bar has now become a central point of the visitor experience with new and improved menus which change with exhibitions and seasons, comfortable open seating, and a more accessible atmosphere.

Castle Howard’s Alice’s Christmas Wonderland transformed the House into a uniquely immersive world, reimagining Lewis Carroll’s story with bespoke installations, soundscapes and curated rooms. A wide programme—from Father Christmas experiences to new dining concepts, workshops and expanded retail—broadened appeal. Innovations, strong media coverage and community-focused pricing helped drive record attendance of 105,000, making it the site’s most successful Christmas event to date.

Step Into the Spotlight was a completely new one‑day immersive ticketed experience offering audiences the chance to stand on the Royal Opera House Main Stage and witness live technical demonstrations. Designed to deepen engagement, celebrate backstage talent, develop new audiences and generate additional income, it delivered record results and contributed to the most commercially successful day in RBO tours history. The event was deeply moving for visitors, while technicians felt celebrated and valued.

Whales was a newly-commissioned work to highlight our relationship with oceans and whales, transforming the Cathedral into an underwater themed, multisensory exhibition using sound, scent, lighting and sculptures made from ghost nets and recovered plastics. With strong accessibility features and climate messaging, it inspired 44% of visitors to pledge environmental action. Partnerships including with the University of Southampton helped to expand programming and reach diverse and younger audiences.

The Baltic Online Shop has undergone a full redesign to increase revenue and better support the Gallery’s vision. Over 12 months, the team refined pricing, product mix, marketing and user personas, and collaborated with local agency Founded to implement a new Shopify theme with consistent visual guidelines. The brand evolved from playful to design‑led, emphasising curated products for discerning buyers while focussing on improving conversion and raising basket value.

The Historic Royal Palaces Online Shop has been aligned with its new “charity for everyone” strategy by improving accessibility and storytelling, supporting small suppliers, reducing carbon emissions, and recruiting its first ecommerce apprentice. With richer content, improved navigation, stronger branding, and enhanced SEO, engagement has grown through historian‑led content and tailored campaigns, strengthening the connection between retail, charitable purpose, and the stories of the palaces.

Created in partnership with the Sylva Foundation’s Wood School, this limited edition Arts & Crafts inspired furniture range, handmade from Stourhead oak, was launched and sold out online. This innovative ecommerce model based on small-batch production, responsibly sourced materials, young makers gaining real commercial experience, and a retail offer that directly supports the Trust’s mission, proves that an online shop can go beyond sales to play a role in education, conservation storytelling and public engagement.

In 2025, Castle Howard partnered with Dancing Fox Entertainment on Blueberry Inn, filmed on the estate in a nature restoration project area. This was a unique, collaborative project: in addition to the facility fee (85% of the 2025 filming budget), the production invested £65k in restoring a farmhouse to become a nature education centre and agreed a 1.5% royalty to support long-term habitat restoration. The project also involved the local community through casting, creative employment, accommodation and catering.

The team at Harewood House were approached by a high-end car brand looking to shoot a new commercial. Whilst Harewood is no stranger to large-scale filming productions, this was the first time that the house and grounds had been turned into a high-speed film set with ambitious stunts. Successfully overcoming a series of complex challenges, the shoot gained major international exposure and strengthening Harewood’s reputation as a flexible historic filming location, sparking new partnerships and events.

In 2024-25 the Old Royal Naval College strengthened its status as the UK’s top heritage filming location, delivering record-breaking success with major productions such as Family Plan 2 and Close Personal Friends. This period also marked 100 years since the first film shoot at ORNC, celebrated with a Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of people dressed as screen characters. These celebrations reinforced ORNC’s cultural legacy and global profile, with themed tours and national media coverage.

English Heritage has partnered with Northern Bloc to create two exclusive pudding‑inspired ice creams, boosting on‑site sales, off‑site revenue and brand reach through new channels. The collaboration celebrates heritage through flavour, using responsibly sourced ingredients and chef‑led recipes. As a key summer income stream, the range elevates ice cream with storytelling, quality and a shared commitment to local sourcing and responsible supply.

The National Museum of the Royal Navy partnered with John Rigby & Co, one of the UK’s oldest and most prestigious gunmakers, to create a limited edition rifle using oak reclaimed from HMS Victory, forming the centrepiece of Rigby’s 250th anniversary. Generating £250k in licensing revenue and £40k in event income, it attracted global collectors and laid the groundwork for NMRN’s Heritage Squared strategy, establishing a transformative model for luxury heritage licensing.

The Reiss x Royal Ballet partnership launched with a 60‑piece fashion collection blending contemporary design and ballet heritage. Inspired by archival costume details, it turned craftsmanship into storytelling. A high‑profile global launch, strong media coverage and influencer praise boosted visibility, with 10% of sales donated to the ROH Foundation. The initiative has exceeded commercial expectations, with forecasted seven figure global sales and major retail placements.

Created using historic 1915 recipes, site-grown botanicals, and archive imagery, this bespoke Vulcan spirits and ales range forms part of a retail and F&B offer celebrating the heritage of the restored Vulcan Hotel at St Fagan’s National Museum of History. Complementary products, including recreated green facade tiles and a retail range inspired by WW Nell Brewery’s monogram, extend the Vulcan’s story, blending authenticity, craftsmanship, and curatorial collaboration.

The Grown at Kew collection is a range of handcrafted homewares created using waste timber from felled trees in Kew’s world-famous arboretum. Each unique piece carries the legacy of Kew’s historic landscape, offering a rare opportunity to own a piece of botanical history. From butter knives to bowls, each individual item has been expertly crafted using traditional woodworking methods and carries a hallmark traceable back to the original tree and even the seed from which it grew.

The Flying Scotsman Boiler Tube is a once in a lifetime opportunity to own a unique and authentic piece of Flying Scotsman history from the National Railway Museum. Each tube is an original piece of the Flying Scotsman’s boiler, expertly removed at the East Lancashire Railway Workshop in Bury before being hand cut into 10cm lengths. The tubes are presented in a beautifully designed box with a certificate of authenticity and hand engraved with the FS100 mark.

Published by the National Portrait Gallery, in collaboration with the British Library, Writers Revealed celebrates over 70 influential figures in English literature, pairing manuscripts, letters and first editions from the British Library with iconic portraits from the National Portrait Gallery. The book reflects the two institutions’ shared values of accessibility, scholarship and public engagement, while delivering exceptional commercial results. Its unique design, modern appeal and broad reach have led to high-profile media coverage and strong sales.

Serving up history with a generous side of fun and flavour, Much Ado About Cooking is a practical cookbook packed with recipes inspired by the dishes of Shakespeare’s time. Expertly updated by food historian Sam Bilton and crafted with everyday ingredients, the recipes are brought to life with mouth watering illustrations and photography. From wedding feasts and tipsy alehouse snacks to magical banquets, Shakespeare’s plays are full of food, the perfect inspiration for a book that takes this “great feast of language” off the stage and into your own kitchen.

Our Stories is the first central resource bringing together Hertfordshire’s Black histories. The Black History Research Group at St Albans Museum + Gallery worked with artists with lived experience to create new artworks and a zine showcasing their findings. An engaging and accessible publication, 90 copies were gifted to every school, library and community participant, while 70 copies were sold in just one month. The zine lives on as a creative way for visitors, participants and schools to access a unique collection of artworks and histories.

The shop at Big Pit National Coal Museum underwent a six-month redevelopment as a trial project to find ways to increase Amgueddfa Cymru brand standards and consistency whilst still representing the unique identity of each museum in the group. The redevelopment included creating 200+ bespoke products representing Big Pit’s stories and collections, as well as an immersive soundscape, a redesigned shop space using original collections and upcycling items from the former mine, and improved signage/messaging.

The Ashmolean’s exhibition shop for This is What You Get: Stanley Donwood, Radiohead, Thom Yorke reflects the exhibition design with a wall of T-shirts and vinyl LPs, and postcards shaped like LPs, designed in partnership with the artists. The shop introduced an experiential element for the first time which has been well received and adds a new and exciting dimension. The shop has been phenomenally successful and exceeded all targets, becoming a fun place to extend the experience after visiting the exhibition.

The RA exhibition shop for Brasil! Brasil! The Birth of Modernism supported the exhibition aims by sourcing products and publications from Brazilian makers, authors and storytellers. A vibrant, colourful approach to visual merchandising, range selection and team product knowledge created a bold and expressive in store experience alongside ambitious financial and engagement targets. The team’s enthusiasm for the exhibition content made this a particularly meaningful and energising project.

Fuel’s free tickets initiative, Take Your Seat allocates ensures that 10% of all tickets are offered free of charge to people facing financial barriers, supported by tailored engagement such as school, family and skills‑based workshops. In 2025, the scheme delivered 11 movement and puppetry workshops for 261 young children alongside There’s a Bear on My Chair. By November 2025, 2,950 free tickets had reached diverse, under‑served audiences nationwide.

Following a digital rebrand that unintentionally reduced donations, the Natural History Museum team spent six months in 2025 testing and refining the ticketing flow. By adjusting language, suggested amounts and design elements, they restored and then increased donation revenue. The project balanced financial sustainability with customer trust, demonstrating resilience, creativity and a commitment to protecting both the museum’s brand and its future.

With a need to diversify income streams, Queer Britain introduced a Pay What You Can donation for admission policy in January 2025, with a recommended donation of £10 but all visitors invited to ‘select an amount they are comfortable with’ using onsite contactless donation boxes. There is also an option to prebook a visit online with both £10 and ‘pay what you can’ ticket options. This initiative has tripled both the number of visitors that make a donation as well as the annual income generated.

The National Space Centre’s Venue Hire team achieved record results in 2024–25 through innovation, diversification, and a strong connection to its mission to inspire the next generation in space science. New Cosmic Events and the Tetrastar Spaceport broadened audiences, boosted quieter months and enhanced accessibility. The programme now contributes 20% of income, reinforcing the charity’s long‑term resilience.

In August 2025, the Old Royal Naval College hosted Labyrinth on the Thames, a sold‑out six‑day electronic music festival produced in partnership with Labyrinth Events, attracting 57,000 attendees, many first‑time visitors to the site. Three years in development, this major venue hire initiative delivered significant commercial income, diversified audiences, elevated the site’s cultural profile, and established lasting creative partnerships.

Watershed’s venue hire offer stands out through exceptional in‑house support, industry‑leading tech, flexible spaces and a deep alignment with its values, delivering everything from conferences to creative celebrations. Accessible, welcoming and community‑minded, Watershed attracts clients across sectors while reinforcing its cultural mission. Its cinemas, new event spaces and strong reputation create a distinctive, inclusive and commercially successful offer.

Compton Verney connects people with art, nature and creativity in its historic mansion and parkland. A new purpose led commercial culture has transformed the visitor experience, with Profit with Purpose turning every interaction into mission driven engagement. Front of house collaboration produced Powering Purpose, guiding values led conversations. Results include stronger income, improved feedback, national recognition and a sustainable, human centred model securing the charity’s future.

Japan House’s Visitor Experience team is at very the heart of its mission to increase awareness of Japanese culture, foster partnerships between the peoples of Japan and the UK and create future sustainability. Guests are invited to explore, interact with, and immerse themselves in Japan’s rich and diverse cultures through a programme of events and exhibitions, offering proactive engagement and touchpoints enabling visitors to deepen and broaden their knowledge and understanding of Japanese culture.

The Migration Museum’s Front of House team builds genuine connections with visitors, listening closely and guiding them to meaningful exhibits and products. Their community‑centred approach, deep knowledge of makers’ work and support for colleagues creates an inclusive atmosphere. New exhibitions led by local Community Curators have further enriched the experience, with visitors rating the museum incredibly highly for being welcoming as a place for the whole community.

Chichester950 was a year‑long campaign celebrating the Cathedral’s 950th anniversary through exhibitions, concerts, community projects and major city partnerships. Aimed at boosting engagement, fundraising and national profile, it delivered standout moments including Religion, Rebellion & Reformation, a sold‑out Bernstein concert and TrinityFest. The Luxmuralis light show raised around £150k, family events involved 1,500 children, and £950k match funding was secured. By November 2025 it had reached 200k people and 1.8 million digital views.

Dovecot’s 2025 marketing campaign repositioned the tapestry studio as a modern, international centre for art and design, driven by securing the first-ever touring exhibition from the IKEA Museum. Leveraging IKEA’s global profile, the campaign attracted national media attention and broadened audiences, especially younger and family groups. Partnerships with IKEA UK and Swedish organisations expanded reach, while a Spring launch and shift to digital and broadcast marketing secured global press and strong festival season visibility.

Kynren’s 2025 marketing campaign marked its 10th anniversary with a focus on audience growth, regional reach and preparing for the 2026 launch of The Storied Lands. With a 45,000 visitor target, the team refreshed awareness through bold creative, a wrapped bus, national‑headline PR and expanded influencer activity. Performance Max boosted digital results, a new CRM and website delivered record engagement and improved customer journeys, and the first Social & Economic Impact Report strengthened stakeholder advocacy.

Rachel has transformed the British Library’s publishing and retail social media, especially on Instagram and TikTok, driving major audience and revenue growth. Since early 2025, followers have risen by 11k, reach has hit 536K and interactions have doubled. Her engaging, accessible content has broadened audiences and boosted sales by 420%. She has also shaped a distinctive, fun tone of voice that modernises the brand and appeals far beyond traditional heritage audiences.

Ray joined the Cartoon Museum under pressure to meet ambitious venue hire targets, proving his value immediately through resilience, positivity and strong results. A highly respected team member, he has strengthened the volunteer cohort, negotiated increased commissions, raised prices without affecting bookings and consistently upsells a challenging location. Expanding into public programming, he has also delivered lucrative, sell‑out events that generate significant income.

Matt joined the NT in 2022 as a Customer Services Assistant, quickly standing out through his talent for stock control and sales. After progressing to Supervisor and Tour Guide, he became Buying and Admin Assistant in 2024, rapidly developing strong merchandising and forecasting skills. His creativity, theatre background and design flair have driven standout products and financial success, earning him further promotion. A true rising star with exceptional potential.

Chester Zoo’s 2025 digital transformation in partnership with Cinchio and Attractions.io has revolutionised its food and beverage experience. A seamless app and real time kitchen system cut queues, boosted efficiency and enabled personalised offers. Results were striking: a 52% rise in transaction value, 49% F&B revenue uplift, 91% positive feedback, a 4.8‑star app rating and strong marketing opt‑ins, making the platform a major driver of revenue and satisfaction.

A trusted supplier of bespoke labelled Scotch whisky, Own Label Company creates beautifully branded bottles tailored to each client’s story, audience and budget. Serving major heritage organisations, they offer design and components at cost to maximise value. Trusted by top distilleries, their products deliver strong margins and often become top‑selling high quality ambassadorial items in heritage retail spaces, adding value to the retail offer and enhancing visitor experience.

Paguro Upcycle is a sustainable design platform turning discarded materials into contemporary accessories crafted by global artisans who preserve traditional skills. Building partnerships on a distinctive model that merges ethical production, cultural storytelling, and contemporary design, it supports museums and cultural organisations to broaden their commercial impact while advancing socially responsible values. Paguro has already diverted over 59,000 kg of waste from landfill.

In December 2023 Amgueddfa Cymru’s Enterprises team faced a severe 10.5% funding cut for 2024/25, forcing major restructuring while still needing to maintain — or increase — profits. Their response was exceptional: resilient, united and commercially astute. They streamlined operations across seven sites, protected all activity and achieved six financial records in one year. Their outstanding performance under intense pressure makes them a compelling candidate for Team of the Year.

This team has delivered a standout year, growing from 130 to around 200 events and more than doubling venue hire and public programme income. Their creativity, client focus and strong partnerships have strengthened commercial performance and widened access. Despite being a small team, they consistently deliver high‑quality events, embody exceptional teamwork and have played a pivotal role in the Museum’s recovery and financial sustainability, making them strong award contenders.

The Pre‑Loved Bookshop, opened in March 2025, revitalised a heritage building into a thriving volunteer‑run bookshop and community hub. Led by David Yates and a dedicated team of 27 volunteers, it has sold thousands of donated books, created a welcoming themed space for visitors and groups, and generated £30k in six months to support the Castle’s charitable work. The project showcases sustainability, community spirit, exceptional service and impressive entrepreneurial impact.