The winners of the 2019 Museums and Galleries National Awards will be announced on Wednesday 15 May 2019 at the AMaGA National Conference in Alice Springs.
The list of winners will be available here by Thursday afternoon.
Entry Levels
- Level 1: Project budget less than $20,000
- Level 2: Project budget $20,000 - $150,000
- Level 3: Project budget $150,000 - $500,000
- Level 4: Project budget more than $500,000
Interpretation, Learning and Audience Engagement
JUDGES
- Dr Lynda Kelly
- Samantha Rutter
- Lucinda Davison
Level 1
WINNER
Museum of the Riverina
STEAM the Museum
This is a project with an innovative and creative concept and with the principals and co-design, collaboration, community outreach and education at its heart. This project demonstrated the ability for museum practice to directly engage and involve community, learning and innovation to deliver an enriching project for the community.
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Old Melbourne Gaol
“Think You Know Me?” Virtual Reality Experience
Level 2
WINNERS
National Trust of Western Australia
REST at East Perth Cemeteries
A non-traditional idea for what turned out to be an interesting and intriguing project with excellent reach.
Orange Regional Museum/Orange City Council
Bigger than Ben Hall
Judges comments This is a great multi-faceted project. I'm especially liking the Indigenous element which you'd never expect with a project like this. Love that the project was "fueled by goodwill"! A really ground-breaking community building project. This is the real stuff right there.coming soon
HIGHLY COMMENDED
National Wool Museum
The Little L Project
Level 3
WINNER
Museum of Brisbane
Life in Irons: Brisbane's Convict Stories
It is clear the collaboration, production quality and ethical communication were delivered aims of this project. The use of technology, local community knowledge and stories, links to the national/state curriculum, and concern about interpreting colonial histories with specific attention to Indigenous history and voices are all well delivered.
Level 4
WINNER
Sovereign Hill Museums Association
The Sovereign Hill Costumed Schools Program
This is a great and enduring program.
HIGHLY COMMENDED
National Trust of Western Australia
Ellensbrook at Mokidup
Permanent Exhibition or Gallery Fitout
JUDGES
- Bernice Murphy
- Paul Bowers
- Pauline Cockrill
- Shane Breynard
Level 1
WINNER
Centre of Democracy (History Trust of South Australia)
My Actions Count, My Voice Matters
Excellent. Puts higher spend exhibits to shame. The content - the deeper thought processes of democratic engagement - is reflected in the interaction method. Most impressive is the creation of opportunities for dialogue within and between visiting groups - the essence of the core concept of 'participation'.
Level 2
WINNER
National Motor Museum
Game Engine: Digital Legends
The project has produced strong results and obviously captures the attention of the youth demographics it is aimed at.
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Soldiers Memorial Institute Military Museum
Central Victoria Remembers the First World War
Sunshine Coast Council
Raising the benchmark - Bankfoot House Heritage Precinct
Level 3
WINNERS
Shire of Manjimup
State Timber Museum
Judges' comments coming soon
Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory
Unruly Days: A Territory Life 1911-1921
Judges' comments coming soon
Level 4
WINNER
Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory
Megafauna Central
The community consultation was very good. The displays and interpretations are of high quality. This project seems to have won a deserved and strong place in Alice Springs, attracting locals and tourists in equal measure. Excellent combination of storage and display and creation and inclusive approach to developing a new attraction. Brilliant inclusion of Arrente language.
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Anzac Memorial
The Anzac Memorial Centenary Exhibition
Indigenous Project or Keeping Place
JUDGES
- Deanne Fitzgerald
- Peter White
Level 2
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory
Translating Otto
Museum of Contemporary Art
John Mawundjul: I am the old and the new' exhibition microsite
Level 3
WINNER
New England Regional Art Museum
Myall Creek and beyond
HIGHLY COMMENDED
National Gallery of Australia
The National Picture: the art of Tasmania's Black War
Research
JUDGES
- Dr Andrew Simpson
- Dr Lynda Kelly
Level 1
WINNER
John Curtin Gallery
Contesting Space
An innovative project from a university gallery focused on inclusive practice which builds understanding in a cross institutional capacity for a gendered group that has previously been marginalised from mainstream culture. Project is an excellent example of art as social activism grounded in academic research.
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Australian National University
The Powerful (and Power-Shifting) Potential of Museum Participation
Level 3
WINNER
Western Australian Museum
Shipwrecks of the Roaring Forties: A Maritime Archaeological Reassessment of some of Australia's Earliest Shipwrecks
This project represents a valuable and timely reassessment of existing archaeological evidence and through a diverse range of partnerships has provided new data and interpretive output that will generate significant public and academic interest. The thorough usage of new and emerging technologies in this project makes it an excellent exemplar of modern archaeological practice.
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Joanna Mendelssohn, Catherine De Lorenzo, Alison Inglis and Catherine Speck
Australian Art Exhibitions: Opening Our Eyes
Temporary or Travelling Exhibition
JUDGES
- Belinda Cotton
- Craig Middleton
- Deanne Fitzgerald
- Rosemary Simons
Level 1
WINNER
Logan Art Gallery, Logan City Council
He kākano āhau (I am a seed)
Authentic cross cultural learnings and community engagement - people focussed. Display is layered and reflective of identity underpinned by museum/exhibition practice.
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Bay Discovery Centre
Little River: the story of Glenelg's Patawalonga
Geoffrey Kaye Museum of Anaesthetic History
The Rare Privilege of Medicine: Women Anaesthetists in Australia and New Zealand
Hurstville Museum & Gallery - Georges River Council
St George on a Sunday
Level 2
WINNER
Australian Museum
GADI
Wonderful example of opening the curatorial process to those to whom the story belongs and collectively build content from the first person ... ie. the true owners of knowledge.
HIGHLY COMMENDED
MOD.
Sleep Ops
Sydney Living Museums
How Cities Work
Level 3
WINNERS
Museums Victoria
LOVE
Judges' comments coming soon
National Gallery of Australia
The National Picture: the art of Tasmania's Black War
The two most commendable elements are the original research about frontier conflict and the critical challenge to colonial narratives.
Level 4
WINNER
ACMI
Wonderland
A wonderland of cross-disciplinary artworks and technological collaborations with backend data analytical tools for capturing learnings for future projects. Would have liked to understand if and how it altered ACMI's approach to exhibitions - a new way of working. Really tapped into a zeitgeist nostalgia and mined the grainy gothic vibe of Tim Burton to excellent effect. Demonstrated very high production level standards and showed what and how high quality industry collaborations can achieve amazing things. Clever interweaving of themes - from the feminist empowerment of Alice to the literary world of Lewis Carroll to the craft of theatre/film/animation.
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Australian National Maritime Museum
James Cameron: Challenging the Deep
National Winners
ACMI
Wonderland
A wonderland of cross-disciplinary artworks and technological collaborations with backend data analytical tools for capturing learnings for future projects. Would have liked to understand if and how it altered ACMI's approach to exhibitions - a new way of working. Really tapped into a zeitgeist nostalgia and mined the grainy gothic vibe of Tim Burton to excellent effect. Demonstrated very high production level standards and showed what and how high quality industry collaborations can achieve amazing things. Clever interweaving of themes - from the feminist empowerment of Alice to the literary world of Lewis Carroll to the craft of theatre/film/animation.
Museum of the Riverina
STEAM the Museum
This is a project with an innovative and creative concept and with the principals and co-design, collaboration, community outreach and education at its heart. This project demonstrated the ability for museum practice to directly engage and involve community, learning and innovation to deliver an enriching project for the community.
