the Whitworth wins an LCD Travel Award

We are delighted to announce that we have been announced as 'Best Emerging Culture Destination in Europe' at the LCD Travel Awards.

The University of Manchester’s Whitworth is delighted to have won Best Emerging Culture Destination in Europe at the LCD Travel Awards. The prestigious accolade was announced at an awards ceremony at Jumeriah Carlton Tower in Knightsbridge, London on 9 October. The audience was an international crowd comprising representatives from cultural institutions, opinion leaders and creative professionals.

We were nominated alongside a number of influential cultural institutions; Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam (The Netherlands), The Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris (France), Museu Del Disseny, Barcelona (Spain), Garage Museum of Contemporary Art, Moscow (Russia) and Fondazione Prada, Milan, (Italy).

Leading Culture Destinations is a platform created to explore, recognise and promote the world’s best destinations for cultural experiences. Set up by Florian Wupperfeld and Bakul Patki, together with a team of art and travel enthusiasts, it aims at sharing knowledge and recommendations from a global network of leading professionals from the arts, fashion, music and film. The company aims to support both emerging and existing arts institutions and travel destinations, highlighting the practices and solutions that raise the standards of the cultural sector worldwide.

Maria Balshaw CBE, The Whitworth Director, commented: “We were thrilled to accept the award, an accolade that places the University of Manchester’s Whitworth firmly on the European cultural map. The Whitworth re-opened its doors on 14 February this year following a £15 Million redevelopment project by MUMA, transforming the 126 year-old Whitworth into a 21st Century gallery in the park and has since welcomed over 300,000 visitors through our doors. We are delighted to have these achievements acknowledged by this award.”

The Leading Culture Destinations awards were divided into five categories. Winners were selected for: Exhibitions and Programming, Architecture and Spatial Design (presented by EcoWorld Ballymore), Digital Experience and Eat & Drink and Shop (presented by Selfridges & Co).  Now in their second year, the awards have expanded to include Emerging Culture Destinations from all over the world: recently opened, bold and brave institutions that have quickly earned their place alongside the world’s most ambitious players in the sector. Finally, the Traveller’s Awards for Best Art Experience in a Hotel and Best Emerging City for Culture, recognise a hotel and city with outstanding art collections, programmes and offerings, highlighting the role of culture as the main catalyst for tourism and lifestyle worldwide.

Photo by Alan Williams