EBU 2021 call and award for Access to Museums and Cultural Heritage Sites, Deadline: 30 April

EBU rewards best practice examples of cultural accessibility.

With co-funding from the Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme of the European Commission, EBU collects and disseminates good practice in Europe of accessibility in different areas. In the past 3 years EBU has also awarded the best examples shared by member organisations in the areas of employment (2018), mobility (2019), web-accessibility (2020).

In 2021 EBU will collect and publish national best practices for access to museums and cultural heritage sites for blind and partially sighted visitors. You are hereby invited to share the best examples from your country and enter the contest. The three best good practices will be awarded a prize of 3000, 2000 and 1000 euros respectively. 

The most relevant good practices received will be compiled in a brochure. These will propose a wide range of transferrable solutions to enhance the accessibility of museums and cultural heritage sites. The publication will be available in at least 4 languages.

You will find further information in the contest rules that you can donwload or read below. Please send your contributions to ebuprojects@euroblind.org before 30 April 2021. You can refer to Romain Ferretti at the same email address if you have any additional questions.

We look very much forward to your good practices that contribute to the accessibility of museums and cultural heritage sites and to our full participation in cultural life.

Best wishes, Birgitta J. Blokland

Coordinator EBU Access to culture network

Competition rules

1. Purpose

This activity aims to collect and publish best practices in Europe in the area of access to culture, and specifically in the accessibility of museums and cultural heritage sites for blind and partially sighted visitors. The results will provide a tool to support national members in promoting accessible art and culture, provide museums with inspiring, practical examples on how to be more accessible and inclusive, and showcase the working practices to politicians in order to implement UNCRPD art. 30, and raise awareness among stakeholders related to art and culture.

The contest adds an incentive for contributions.

2. Contributions

Each EBU member organisation is invited to contribute best examples from their country in a concise, clear and accurate manner.

Such practices may stem from legislation, regulations or standards, or originate from the know-how or initiative of enthusiasts or national entities in the art and culture sector. Good practices must be related to enhancing the visitor experience of blind and partially sighted people in a museum, and showcase specific measures for enhancing the accessibility and inclusion in the museum´s offer, both at the physical site and through its digital platform.

For further criterion, refer to section 7.

Examples of specific areas:

• Legislation, regulation and other measures aimed at the accessibility and inclusion of blind and partially sighted visitors
• Special arrangements, continuous commitment to accessibility
• Inclusive ways of presenting collections
• Describing art, image and video descriptions,
• Materials provided 
• Inclusive guided/audio tours
• Accessibility-related information on the websites
• Outstanding inclusive online experiences.

Each national member may share more than one good practice, whereby submissions must be limited to only the very best examples.

3. Length and format

Please adhere to the maximum limit of 1000 words in Arial unicode 14pt. Keep your text as concise and to-the-point as possible. A fact-sheet style manner is recommended.

Describe the specific accessibility measures taken, the result, the impact.

Explain the process, how blind and partially sighted were involved. What makes the project inspiring, transferrable and sustainable. Explain why you chose to share this specific good practice example and why it stands out for you.

Other details that must be included for the museum or cultural heritage site: name, city, country and the website address.

Don´t forget to mention your organisation´s name and country at the end of the document.

In case you share more than one good practice, each must be presented in a separate document.

4. Visual materials

Adding relevant images and video to the best practice document is encouraged. These must be accessible (described). Any visual material should have a clear added value to the text, showing the accessibility measures proposed in the good practice example.

Please try to stay concise in your descriptive texts as well.

5. Language

Contributions will only be accepted in English.

6. Submission deadline and email address

Email your contribution no later than 30 April 2021 to Romain Ferretti at ebuprojects@euroblind.org

The subject field must include: your country - 2021 best practices accessible museums and heritage sites

7.    Awards and jury decisions

All contributions will be carefully examined by an expert jury which will award three prizes for the best good practice examples brought in by national members:

• First prize: € 3 000
• Second prize: € 2 000
• Third prize: € 1 000

The national members receiving the awards can use or donate the prizes for an activity that contributes to the accessibility of museums and cultural heritage sites (examples could be, but are not limited to, the purchase of a 3D printer, offer an (online) workshop or training for museums on accessibility measures that improve the visitor experience of blind and partially sighted etc.)

The jury reserves the right not to award one or more of the prizes, if it considers that the quality of the reports it has examined is unsatisfactory and does not meet the criterion set.

The jury’s verdict will be based on the majority of votes cast. Its decisions will be final, and no appeal will be entertained. They will be based primarily on the following criterion:

• Originality of the good practice described
• Transferability to other countries
• Inclusion of blind and partially sighted in the good practice project described
• Meeting accessibility needs of both blind and low vision visitors
• Sustainability
• Report clarity
• Relevance and accessibility of visual material provided with the report
• Jury member´s overall impression

In the event of a dead heat, the jury Chairperson will have the casting vote.

8. Announcement of the results

EBU will announce the competition results widely through its various publications, website and social media.

9. Good practices publication

A brochure will be published with a summary of the good practices received, proposing a wide range of transferrable solutions,  and will be available in at least 4 languages (English, French, German and Spanish ). EBU members will be free to provide the translation of the brochure into their own language at their own cost.

The publication will contain the contributions considered to be the most relevant and may cite certain passages or text from the documents submitted for competition in full. The authors will have no recourse to claim copyright.

EBU encourages the dissemination and sharing of this publication and providing a tool to help its members lobby authorities for more relevant, effective and targeted cultural accessibility policies and solutions, ranging from mandatory standards and regulations to well-working practices from the blind and partially sighted users perspective. In addition, the publication will also serve to:

• inform all relevant stakeholders on the specific needs and demands of blind and partially sighted people in order to increase their independence and active participation in cultural life
• support improvements in the accessibility of museums and cultural heritage sites for blind and partially sighted people.
• communicate in effective ways with the government in order to obtain services and ensure equal rights in compliance with UNCRPD.

The brochure will be distributed as widely as possible by EBU and national members including, but not limited to:

• blind and partially sighted people 
• museums and cultural heritage sites
• public authorities (national, regional, local)
• (Euro) parliamentarians familiar with the current practices in other European countries
• media that will be encouraged to use it as the basis for their articles or radio or TV broadcasts, podcasts, online media
• other partners/stakeholders active in the area of cultural accessibility

10. Timeframe

The activity has the following deadlines:

• Call for best practices sent to national members: 03/03/2021
• National contributions received by EBU: 30/04/2021
• Jury meeting and selection of the 3 award-winning contributions: 15/05/2021
• Announcement of the 3 award-winning best practices: 18/05/2021
• Publication of good practices brochure drafted (English): 20/06/2021
• Language versions ready: 21/10/2021
• Circulation to members and stakeholders: 26/10/2021

11. Final clause

As national member participating with your contribution of good practices from your country in accessibility of museums and cultural heritage sites, you implicitly accept and are bound by these rules.

END OF RULES