The Museum of Ethnography’s ‘Sleep Over at the Museum!’ programme has received a special award from the international jury of the Children in Museums Award, the institution announced on Thursday.
The Budapest museum—already honoured with several professional accolades this year—ranked among the top five worldwide, alongside renowned institutions such as the Children’s Museum Singapore, the OliOli museum in Dubai, the Showtown family museum in Blackpool, and the main prize winner, the La Nube STEAM Discovery Center in El Paso, Texas.
The award is presented by the European Museum Academy and Hands On! International to museums offering outstanding experiences for young visitors. According to the jury, which created this special distinction specifically for the Museum of Ethnography, the programme provides a ‘collection-focused, active learning environment that introduces children to the world of museums and the discipline of ethnography in a uniquely engaging way.’
The jury also praised the institution’s long-term commitment to child- and family-centred strategy, its layered pedagogical approach, and the creative, personal use of its collections. ‘Sleep Over at the Museum!’ combines innovative learning with behind-the-scenes access and creative activities that support children’s self-understanding and identity formation.
‘“Sleep Over at the Museum!” combines innovative learning with behind-the-scenes access and creative activities’
The programme forms the first operational phase of the museum’s future dedicated children’s museum. Designed for children aged between eight and 11, as well as younger children accompanied by families or school groups, it is available as an evening session or as a full overnight experience.
Participants enter the museum after closing time. The heart of the programme is a purpose-built educational space, an unfinished exhibition and its connected storage area, which children are tasked with completing. The theme is ‘sleep’, explored as both a personal and cultural concept.
Using hundreds of objects, demonstration materials, reconstructions, curatorial notes and plans, the children work like real curators: researching, selecting items, arranging displays and creating their own mini-exhibitions.
Their completed work is presented through tableaux, role-play, storytelling or explanation, linking museum themes with their own lives. Participants share sleeping habits, family memories and their views on the role of museums. After setting up personal sleeping spaces in the gallery or storage area, the evening concludes with storytelling, followed by a communal reflection on dreams and experiences the next morning.
Pedagogically, the programme emphasizes emotional engagement, motivation and differentiated tasks. Museum educators support from the background, encouraging children to express their own discoveries. Authenticity is ensured by the use of real collection items from the museum’s vast 230,000-object holdings.
The goal, according to the museum, is to help children understand what a museum is for, how it connects to everyday life and how museum knowledge can be used meaningfully.
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