With this publication, Hands On! International and the European Museum Academy celebrate 10 years of the Children in Museums Award, which is given to a museum that has proved its excellence in offering exhibitions and/or programmes that contribute to the development of children under 14 into world citizens.

The lock-down almost happened overnight and has ravaged the heritage and culture sector. As ever, the sector is dependent on actual visitors. Most museums were in a state of shock, but also tried to come up with new initiatives. Some innovations are worthy extensions of existing practices and are here to stay. The studies in the present volume propose preliminary thoughts and cautious conclusions on the innovations brought about by the pandemic.

The book is written by leading professionals in the field of museology, who have acted as judges for the European Museum of the Year Award. The portraits describe museums that had, or should have had, an influence on other museums around the world. They aim to capture the moment when this potential was identified.

This seminal volume, which in many respects is a foundational publication setting the future direction of the work of EMA, reports the past and ongoing discussions about the topics of sustainability, digital valorization, presentation, and preservation of cultural heritage.

The European Museum Academy celebrates its 10th anniversary with this publication. The contributions reflect the history, and the future visions of the Academy. EMA Board Members are developing ideas for future-oriented positioning of the Academy of tomorrow.