Museum souvenirs are far more than charming mementos. They are storytellers, revenue generators, and bridges between people and culture. Every well-crafted souvenir helps sustain exhibitions, increase funding and preserve collections. They extend the museum visit beyond its walls, turning a fleeting moment into something you can hold, share, and revisit for years.

The best souvenirs are “mini exhibits” — accessible pieces of history and culture you can hold in your hands. They spark pride, nurture a connection to heritage, and, when crafted in collaboration with local artisans, keep traditional skills alive while offering truly unique products. Souvenirs transmit values, such as those of circular economy, recycling, sustainability and inclusion of all individuals. Good souvenir carries a fragment of the museum’s story into the everyday lives of its visitors.

This year’s BMN Open Call for The Best Museum Souvenir brought together a wealth of imagination. Eighteen submissions arrived from museums and creatives across the region, each reimagining how heritage can be celebrated in an object. Each submission was assessed using five criteria designed to balance creativity with cultural and commercial value:

1. Creativity and Innovation – Does it bring a fresh idea to the museum souvenir landscape?
2. Connection to the Museum Collection – Is it rooted in the institution’s heritage, stories and values?
3. Craftsmanship and/or Technological Innovation – How well is it made, and does it use materials or techniques innovatively such as recycling?
4. Quality and Marketability – Is it appealing, durable, and ready for the public?
5. Engagement of Local Creatives – Does it support local artisans, designers, and makers?

The evaluation combined both qualitative insight and quantitative scoring, ensuring that each winner excelled not just in design, but in meaning, usability, and cultural significance.

🏆 First Place Winners

Wear Your Heritage – Museum of the Town of Perast, Museums of Kotor

This brooch is more than jewelry — it is wearable intangible heritage. Crafted with authentic Dobrota lace, it relies on the skills of local women who have inherited this delicate craft, ensuring that the knowledge is actively passed on to new generations.

The design blends tradition with modernity: the lace segment is framed in a contemporary brooch form, while the pattern itself reflects Kotor’s architectural heritage. Exceptional craftsmanship and elegant packaging make it ready for the market, while the collaboration with local creatives ensures the souvenir sustains both the skill and the stories behind it.

Why it won: The jury was impressed by its ability to transform protected heritage into a fashionable, everyday object without losing its cultural depth. It is a perfect balance of tradition, beauty, and practicality.

M25M Pen and Soap Holder – Museum of Yugoslavia

This souvenir carries a unique story: it is made from reclaimed marble taken from the museum building itself. By reusing dismantled materials, the design allows visitors to literally take home a piece of the museum.

The minimalist, timeless shape makes it suitable for multiple uses — a pen holder, soap dish, or paperweight — making it a truly functional souvenir. Each piece is limited in number, which enhances its uniqueness and symbolic value.

Why it won: The jury valued its deep personal connection to the museum, its environmental consciousness through reuse, and its elegant simplicity that elevates everyday life.

🥈 Second Place Winners

Meeting Points Postcards Collection – Off Stream

This souvenir is a celebration of inclusion and collaboration. Featuring artworks from 10 Greek museums, the postcards combine tactile details, Braille text, printed images, and QR codes, ensuring that people of all abilities can connect with the art.

It’s portable, beautiful, and rich in sensory appeal — inviting a wider audience into the world of museum collections. The project reflects a strong community ethos and deep respect for accessibility in culture.

Why it won: The jury admired how it integrates accessibility with aesthetic appeal, making heritage more inclusive without compromising on beauty or quality.

Fragments of the World – Interactive Calendar 2025 – National Museum of the Romanian Peasant

This souvenir turns a familiar item — the wall calendar — into a year-long journey through the museum’s collections. Every date offers a small cultural discovery, with QR codes unlocking further stories, images, and facts.

By merging analogue tradition with digital interaction, it encourages daily engagement with heritage while keeping the tactile pleasure of printed calendars alive.

Why it won: The jury appreciated its innovative twist on a traditional format, making the museum part of everyday life for an entire year.

🥉 Third Place Winner

The Enthusiast’s Guide – Souvenir Kits for Creative Work – Regional Ethnographic Open-Air Museum Etar

This kit invites visitors to actively recreate traditional crafts they have seen at the museum. Containing materials and instructions, it transforms cultural heritage into a personal, hands-on experience that extends far beyond the museum visit.

Fun, interactive, and educational, it lets people not just admire heritage, but become part of its creative process.

Why it won: The jury valued its interactive approach, strong link to the museum’s exhibits, and ability to turn visitors into active participants in preserving craft traditions.

The Jury

Iva Validžija – Art historian and curator, Iva has worked in the Pregrada Town Museum and now serves at the Museum Documentation Centre in Croatia. She is a creator and organiser of workshops for museum professionals, with expertise in digitalization, museum legislation, and visitor evaluation.

Sanja Vrzić – Architect and visual artist, Sanja works as Expert Associate for Spatial and Graphic Design at Cultural Heritage without Borders BiH. Her work transforms spaces through integrated multimedia, creating compelling narrative experiences that merge visual storytelling with heritage preservation.

Igor Stepančić – Exhibition designer with 40 years of experience, Igor has created permanent exhibitions for major museums in Serbia, working through Blueprint Design Studio. His approach combines art and graphic design, with over 100 exhibitions to his name and a deep-rooted family history in museum work.

These results demonstrate that when museums embrace creativity, heritage, and collaboration, souvenirs become much more than keepsakes. They become vessels of memory, symbols of pride, and ambassadors of culture — carrying the museum’s mission far beyond its walls, one object at a time.