Tsarskoe Selo is short-listed for the 2026 Museum Olympus Awards in two nominations. After all nominees' presentations during 12-15 October, the winners will be announced at an award ceremony on 16 October.
Our Chinese Hall Restoration Project is nominated in the Museum Masterpiece category and our Sign Language Video Tour in the Museum for Kids category.
The Chinese Hall is part of the five-year restoration of Catherine II's Private Rooms in the Zubov Wing of the Catherine Palace, accomplished thanks to the financial support of Gazprom PJSC. The interiors now appears in full splendour after one hundred and fifty-five lacquer wall panels were finally installed there in 2026.
Architectural Games in the Alexander Park is our family-friendly interactive video tour in Russian Sign Language, developed thanks to the Svet Charitable Foundation for Social Assistance and Support. The museum built a chatbot operating as a personal guide on your smartphone that leads you through the park, with videos and information about the architectural landmarks. By the end of the tour, you can easily navigate different architectural styles and identify Gothic Revival, Classicism, Chinoiserie and Russian Revival. The tour videos in Russian Sign Language include subtitles and a translation into spoken Russian. The chatbot is fully accessible to both the deaf and the hearing impaired, as well as for hearing users.
Launched in 2009 by St Petersburg's museum community and city authorities, the Museum Olympus Awards became national in 2024. The competition aims to set benchmarks for the professional growth of museum specialists, draw attention to projects that employ themes and tools significant for the future development of the museum community, and highlight the social mission of museums.
Our count of the Museum Olympus' Mnemosyne trophy stands at nine, resulting from the previous wins in 2010 (Museum of the Year), 2013 (Exhibition and Museum Book of the Year), 2014 (Exposition of the Year), 2015 (Prestige of Petersburg), 2016 (Exposition of the Year), 2017 (Exhibition of the Year), 2019 (Museum Unformatted) and 2025 (Museum Masterpiece).
