Dorset Museum & Art Gallery in Dorchester won gold for international tourism and two silvers at the Dorset Tourism Awards in Bournemouth on 22 October.
Dorset Museum & Art Gallery in Dorchester came away from the Dorset Tourism Awards with three prizes: one gold and two silvers. The ceremony was held at the Marsham Court Hotel in Bournemouth on Thursday 22 October.
The museum was a finalist in three categories when the shortlist was published in September, and it placed in all three. According to the organisers’ list of 2026 winners, it won:
- Gold, International Tourism Award
- Silver, Large Visitor Attraction of the Year, sponsored by the Dorset Local Visitor Economy Partnership
- Silver, Accessible and Inclusive Tourism Award, sponsored by Adventure Attractions
Who else placed in those categories
The winners list shows the company the museum kept on the night.
- International tourism: Greenwood Grange, near Dorchester, took silver behind the museum.
- Large visitor attraction: Nothe Fort in Weymouth, run by Weymouth Civic Society, won gold. Corfe Castle, run by the National Trust, took bronze. Monkey World Ape Rescue Centre near Wareham and Poole Museum were commended.
- Accessible and inclusive tourism: Marsham Court Hotel, the evening’s host, won gold. Museum of East Dorset in Wimborne Minster took bronze and Nothe Fort was commended.
What the museum says
Claire Dixon, the museum’s executive director, credited the people who run it day to day.
“Winning gold for International Tourism and silver in both Large Visitor Attraction of the Year and the Accessible and Inclusive Tourism Award is a real endorsement of the work our staff and volunteers put into every visit,” she said.
“Being recognised in these categories reflects the experience we offer visitors from around the world, and our ongoing efforts to make the Museum accessible to anyone, whoever they are and wherever they travel from.”
The museum says its exhibitions this year have drawn audiences “from across the UK and beyond”. It describes itself as the only museum in Dorset that tells the county’s story in its entirety, across 250 million years. It has four permanent galleries and usually stages three major temporary exhibitions a year.
The year’s exhibitions
Earlier in 2026 the museum ran two major shows:
- People Watching, more than a century of British portraiture, staged with The Ingram Collection
- Treasure! Lost and Found, the stories of objects that were treasured, buried for centuries and then found again
What it means for you
Two exhibitions are worth knowing about if you plan a visit.
On now: Dressed for Duty: Fashion, Function and the British Army runs in the Special Exhibitions Gallery until 13 December 2026. It was curated by The Keep Military Museum. The museum says the partnership keeps part of The Keep’s collection on public view while the military museum is temporarily closed. Entry is included in the museum ticket. Members and Unlimited Ticket holders go free, and so do children aged 0 to 15 with a paying adult, the museum’s listing says.
Next year: Mary Anning: Fossil Hunter runs from 30 January to 2 May 2027. It is guest curated by the author Tracy Chevalier and marks 180 years since the death of the Lyme Regis fossil hunter. The museum says the show highlights Dorset’s part in the history of science.
What the organisers said
Nell Barrington, the awards director, said: “Reaching the finals is a huge achievement and these Awards are a chance to reward all the hard-working businesses that give visitors such a great experience in Dorset. I am delighted to see this year’s finalists getting the recognition they deserve.”
Jay Thornton, commercial and engineering director at headline sponsor Tomorrows Travel, said the quality of this year’s finalists “showcases the passion, innovation and dedication that makes Dorset such an outstanding destination”.
The full list of 2026 winners is on the awards website.
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