Exhibition Award Criteria

Below are the criteria by which the exhibition awards are vetted. Key criteria are Originality, Interpretation & Research.

Thesis:

•  Does this exhibition advance the field’s and the public’s understanding of the subject in new and engaging ways? 

• Does the exhibition present innovation, new perspectives in ideas or presentation, e.g. scholarship, new research, original concept? 

•  Is the point of view clear and compelling?

•  Does it take risks? Is it a game-changer?

Visitor Engagement: 

•  Does the exhibition offer opportunities for audience engagement?

•  How does it connect/resonate with current issues/interests of our time? Why this exhibition now? What is the contemporary relevance of material?

•  Does it contribute to the purpose of the museum as a site for meaningful public discourse and experience? 

•  Are there multiple and appropriate ways for visitors to engage? (i.e. beyond labels & panels)

Collaboration/Partnership (from co-curatorship to crowdsourcing and everything in between):

•  Does the exhibition offer opportunities for outstanding, original and creative collaboration? 

•  Did the collaboration foster new ways of thinking and engaging with the material? 

 Works: 

•  Are the artworks in the exhibition well-chosen? 

•  Are they of high quality individually, while jointly reflecting the curatorial premise with clarity and dynamism?

Design:

• Does the design/presentation of the exhibition enhance its content and the visitor experience?

•  Is it engaging, unpredictable, enlightening, original?