Twenty-seven organizations have gained accolades in the 22nd annual Media & Technology MUSE Awards, presented by the Media & Technology Professional Network of the American Alliance of Museums (AAM).
MUSE awards recognize outstanding achievement in Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums (GLAM) media. The Media & Technology Professional Network’s annual awards are presented to institutions that enhance the GLAM experience and engage audiences with useful and innovative digital programs and services. The MUSE awards celebrate scholarship, community, innovation, creativity, education, accessibility and inclusiveness.
Awardees
AR, VR, Mixed Reality
Augmented, virtual, and mixed reality experiences for onsite or offsite use, including as a contribution to visitor experience, marketing, outreach, or educational use on any platform including kiosks, mobile, headsets, etc.
Gold
Reinventing Reality: Explore the Science of Virtual Reality
Virtual Science Center
“The jury felt that this experience was a great use of VR and use of technology to make the concept understandable in an innovative way.”
Silver
Ray Harryhausen NGS: A multi-platform experience with Playdead and Smartify
Smartify
Bronze
The National Palace Museum Children’s Gallery 2.0
National Palace Museum
Developing A Revolutionary Audio Guide For The Hyde Park Barracks Museum
Local Projects
Digital Campaign
Projects and campaigns with a digital marketing focus or innovative viral element, which may include social media, email newsletters, public relations, videos, blogs and/or online advertising.
Gold
As Shedd Aquarium Closed, Penguins Waddled into the Limelight
Shedd Aquarium
“What can you say when an Aquarium Penguin attains worldwide adoration and attention, and whose name recognition suddenly leaves that of a great city, eponymous beef dish and a forgotten general in his waddley wake. Igniting massive publicity and international and loving emulation Wellington ‘Shedd’ a light on his institution’s creativity, sense of fun, and passionate caring about its community. At a time of universal despair, the joy of watching Wellington was something everyone could agree on.”
Silver
#GettyMuseumChallenge
The Getty
Bronze
Women’s Suffrage Stories You May Not Know
Smithsonian Institution
Mobile Experience
Mobile, tablet or other handheld device-based experiences designed for onsite or offsite use including but not limited to mobile or web apps, educational resources, audio guides, location-based technology, bots and digital labels.
Gold
Taipei Fine Arts Museum — App
Taipei Fine Arts Museum
“This app is a wonderful assembly of different interactive components, broadly appealing to a set of diverse audiences and needs. The app is simple and straightforward with multiple moments of engagement that both surprise and delight the visitor.”
Silver
The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza — Dealey Plaza Interactive Guide
The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza
Bronze
Whitney Plantation
Acoustiguide
Honorable Mention
CoboFun: cyclical learning for everywhere and everyone
National Museum of Natural Science
Online Experience
Online experiences and resources designed for any form of web-based outreach and engagement including websites, portals, microsites, badging, online exhibitions, online collections, image databases and open data projects.
Gold
Muslims in Brooklyn website
Howes Studio Inc
“The jury deeply appreciates the socially engaged methodologies that were employed in the building of this collection, as well as the emphasis on participation and collectivity. There are multiple entry points to understand the narrative as well as options to dig deeper and further explore the collections.”
Silver
Duty to Country: America’s Broken Promise to the Philippines
Night Kitchen Interactive
Bronze
“Finding Freedom” Online Interactive Application ID
Museum of the American Revolution
Honorable Mention
YIVO Bruce and Francesca Cernia Slovin Online Museum | Beba Epstein
YIVO Institute for Jewish Research
Podcasts
Serialized, non-site-specific audio programs via any mode of delivery for documentary, interview, news, informational and entertainment purposes.
Gold
Raw Material Mix tape: The Beholder’s Share — Anselm Kiefer
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
“The jury felt that ‘The Beholder’s Share’ moves podcasting to a whole new place, that of being an artwork in itself.”
Silver
Sparrows Point: An American Steel Story
Baltimore Museum of Industry
Bronze
The Object Podcast
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Honorable Mention
The Vagina Museum Podcast
Vagina Museum
Research and Innovation
Bleeding edge applied research and development, methodologies, innovation programs, investment programs, startup collaborations or industry initiatives that may be visitor or enterprise-facing.
Gold
Pieces of Now Project
Greensboro History Museum
“Powerful, impactful project that deals with difficult contemporary subject matter in a sensitive way by ‘stepping aside’ and letting community voices be heard. The platforms and online programming meet audience needs in a great example of co-curation and community collecting best practices.”
Silver
Remains of the Landscape: An Illuminated Historical Map of Chiayi
National Palace Museum
Bronze
Innovation Studio
Relative Scale
Video, Film, Animation, and Live Media
Filmic or live media presentations or performances in any time-based or linear media format including media-based educational programs, live streams, online content repositories (e.g., YouTube channel) and more.
Gold
What Color Is a Blue Whale?
American Museum of Natural History
“This project is great in its structure, storytelling and implementation. The behind-the-scene stories are very effective in drawing audiences. It’s a great example of treating a subject that everyone knows, turn the content into another type of storytelling and then bring it back to the natural world.”
Silver
Museum of Discovery and Science — Wise Bodies
Museum of Discovery and Science
Bronze
Big night (at the Museum)
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
Honorable Mention
Alexander von Humboldt and Heart of the Andes: An Immersive Journey and Introducing Alexander von Humboldt
Smithsonian American Art Museum
2020 Response
In the face of the unique social, political, environmental, health and economic challenges of 2020, any digital or technology innovation or leadership that has embraced disruption, dramatically improved digital literacy or pivoted for the new normal.
Gold
iThrive Sim: Lives in Balance
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum
“‘iThrive Sim: Lives in Balance’ turned the 2020 COVID situation into a meaningful learning opportunity in a contemporary, interactive way. By utilizing a live-action role-play-based digital platform they created a unique and empowering civic learning experience for students very relevant for the times.”
Silver
Pieces of Now Project
Greensboro History Museum
Bronze
Astronomy Online
American Museum of Natural History
Honorable Mention
DZS News (Detroit Zoological Society)
Detroit Zoological Society
Please note the categories for enterprise technology and onsite visitor experience were not awarded this year.
“This year’s AAM MUSE Awards are incredibly special because they represent one of the most important and memorable years for the modern history of museums and one of the most rapid periods of change for digital transformation in the world,” said Angie Judge, Chair of the Media & Technology Professional Network. “Congratulations to all our awardees on their achievements and a very heartfelt thank you to the members of our MuseTech community that spent their valuable time reviewing, deliberating, and helping recognize the noteworthy projects listed below. We look very forward to engaging with everyone in person again next year.”
