The Finnish Siida Museum for the Sami people in Iniari has been honoured with the prestigious European Museum of the Year Award (EMYA).
This and other prizes in the field of museums were awarded on Saturday evening at a gala in the city of Portimão in the Algarve in southern Portugal.
The museum stood out for its open, participatory and transparent integration process, which opens up new opportunities for local communities and the general public to connect the past and present, the jury wrote.
"The 2024 winner of the European Museum of the Year Award, Sámi Museum Siida is a museum that distinguishes itself by enabling ethical participation and inclusive conservation practices."
"It effectively equips citizens to understand cultural dialogue and provides professional leadership in bridging cultures through ethical restitutions and reparations in culture and heritage," the jury added.
The museum in northern Finland is dedicated to the history and culture of the Sámi people and nature in northern Finnish Lapland.
Under the auspices of the Council of Europe, the European Museum of the Year Award aims to promote and publicize innovative developments in the international museum scene.
Since 1977, it has been awarded either to a recently opened museum or to a museum with a completely modernized exhibition.