The National Museum of Contemporary Art Athens (EMΣT) has won this year's European Museum Academy Art Museum Award, beating off competition from institutions like the Rijksmuseum and FENIX Museum of Migration in the Netherlands.

The award, handed out during a ceremony in Alicante, Spain, recognizes the EMΣT for its social impact and innovative approach. The jury praised the museum for its 'heartfelt belief in making a positive impact in everything it does.'

EMΣT, which began operations in 2000 and moved into a former brewery in 2015, has hosted solo exhibitions on artists such as Jannis Kounellis and Tala Madani. It also runs an ongoing exhibition cycle, What if Women Ruled the World?, which explores feminist themes.

The museum's permanent collections weave sociopolitical struggles in Greece with those in South Africa, the Middle East, and elsewhere, making it a unique platform for global dialogue.