Eligibility

Projects eligible for nomination must:

• Be no more than two years old at the time of nomination
• Originate from science and technology museums, science centres, or related institutions working with scientific and technological heritage (tangible and/or intangible)
• Not require CIMUSET membership

Eligible projects may include, but are not limited to:

• Exhibitions and public programmes
• Education and engagement initiatives
• Research and collections-based projects
• Organisational or institutional practices
• Design, architecture, and digital innovation
• Strategic or business model development

Please note that self-nominations are permitted.

Criteria

Projects eligible for nomination should convincingly demonstrate alignment with the following criteria:

• Innovation in science and technology museum practice
  Demonstrates originality through new approaches, formats, or methodologies that advance practice within science and technology museums.
• Engagement with key issues of our time
  Addresses pressing issues such as climate change, digitalisation, health, energy, or armed conflicts, with clear relevance and articulation.
• Contribution to transformative futures
  Contributes to shaping more sustainable, equitable, and desirable futures.
• Alignment with the ICOM museum definition
  Embodies principles such as accessibility, inclusion, participation, sustainability, and ethical practice within a science and technology museum context.
• Engagement and participation
  Involves diverse stakeholders and fosters meaningful dialogue across different forms of knowledge and expertise.
• Inclusion, accessibility, and equity
  Actively engages marginalised or underrepresented communities and integrates inclusive and accessible strategies in both design and implementation.
• Sustainability
  Addresses sustainability holistically across social, environmental, economic, and cultural dimensions.
• Impact
  Demonstrates clear and meaningful impact on audiences, communities, or stakeholders, with tangible outcomes and/or well-articulated potential.

How to apply

The nominator must fill out the CIMUSET Award Application Form.

Please send the application form to the email address: cimusetaward@gmail.com 

The deadline is on the 31st of May 2026

Evaluation of Nominations

Nominated projects will be assessed by an evaluation committee consisting of up to eight members. The committee comprises representatives from the CIMUSET Board, professionals from science and technology museums or science centres, and members from outside the museum sector, ensuring a diversity of perspectives and expertise. All nominations will be evaluated in accordance with the stated criteria.

The decision of the evaluation committee is final. No further explanations will be provided in relation to the outcome of the evaluation process.

Up to four projects will be shortlisted for the CIMUSET Award. The shortlisted projects will be announced approximately two months prior to the final decision.

The winning project will be revealed during the annual CIMUSET General Conference.

Members of the evaluation committee 2026 are:

• Klaus Staubermann, Founding Director of German Port Museum, Germany
• Markita Franulić, Director of the Technical Museum Nikola Tesla, Croatia
• Monique Horth, Independent Museum Advisor
• Emily Gann, Head of Curatorial, Ingenium, Canada
• Seifollah Jalili, Professor of physical chemistry at K. N. Toosi University and Chair of the Iranian National Museum of Science and Technology
• Jacob Thorek Jensen, Curator, Danish Museum of Science and Technology, Denmark