The Museums and Heritage Awards are an annual celebration of outstanding projects, trailblazing teams, and inspiring individuals who are raising the bar across the sector.
This year, the award for ‘Temporary or Touring Exhibition of the Year – budget less than £80k’ was presented to Food Museum School Dinners, an exhibition developed from research from the School Meals project.
Judges praised the exhibition, describing it as “A simple subject turned into something ground-breaking - equal parts nostalgia and sharp political commentary, foregrounding children's voices to explore poverty, policy and responsibility. This winning exhibition proved that imagination and flair can outshine budget every time".
Dr Heather Ellis, from the Institute for Sustainable Food at the University of Sheffield, said, "it has been a joy to work with the Food Museum on this exhibition. Winning this award feels incredibly rewarding and humbling. It’s a real validation of the hard work of so many colleagues and partners over the last few years".
"For me, the significance of the ‘School Dinners’ exhibition lies in its ability to connect historical research with vital contemporary issues around child poverty, school food policy and public health. The exhibition has shown how academic research can reach wide audiences in engaging, accessible and emotionally resonant ways - and how lived experiences, especially children’s voices, deserve to be at the heart of policy conversations".
"This award is a wonderful recognition of that approach and of the brilliant partnership with the Food Museum".
