VENUE
EUSKALDUNA JAUREGIA – Euskalduna Conference Centre and Concert Hall
The 2026 Annual Conference and Awards Ceremony of the EMYA (European Museum of the Year Awards) will be hosted by Euskararen Etxea and its Basque Language Interpretation Centre, the 2025 winner of the Council of Europe Museum Prize, from 10 to 14 June.
This unique event will bring together the EMYA community — former candidates, winners, EMYA2026 nominees, partners, and museum professionals — for panel discussions, workshops, and debates exploring innovation and best practices in the European museum field.
Main Conference Venue
The main conference sessions and the awards ceremony will take place at Euskalduna Jauregia – Euskalduna Conference Centre and Concert Hall, one of Bilbao’s most emblematic cultural spaces. Designed by architects Federico Soriano and Dolores Palacios to evoke a ship under construction on the former Euskalduna shipyard site, the building received the Enric Miralles Award for Architecture at the 6th Spanish Architecture Biennial in 2001.
This 58,200 m² multi‑purpose complex is located in the heart of Bilbao, close to the international airport. It hosts a wide range of economic, academic, political, social, and cultural events. Euskalduna is home to the city’s opera season, organised by ABAO (Friends of the Opera of Bilbao), and it is also the base of the Bilbao Symphony Orchestra (BOS), founded in 1920.
Euskararen Etxea
Activities and the collection of registration materials on Wednesday, 10 June, will take place at Euskararen Etxea, located at Agoitz Plaza 1 in Bilbao.
Additional Venues Across Bilbao
EMYA2026 will extend across several remarkable cultural venues in the city:
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- Guggenheim Bilbao Museum – Gala Dinner
- Euskal Museoa Bilbao Museo Vasco – Evening reception
- Athletic Club Museoa (EMYA 2020 finalist) and San Mamés Stadium – Evening reception
Discovering the City and Bizkaia
Pre‑ and post‑conference tours will guide participants through some of Bilbao’s most beautiful and meaningful places, offering a deeper encounter with the city’s architecture, heritage, and vibrant cultural life.