The Iowa Museum Association (IMA) has added awards for excellence in programming and visual presentation beginning in 2024. 

IMA Executive Director Cynthia Sweet said, “The IMA has provided opportunities to recognize individual achievement for several years.  With this addition, the Board has added opportunities to recognize organizational excellence and the teamwork that makes excellence possible.”

IMA Excellence Awards are non-competitive awards to recognize institutional excellence in a variety of categories.  Each nomination is evaluated on its own merits, not compared to other organizations.  The IMA encourages nominations from organizations of all sizes, including small and all-volunteer institutions.  Institutions may be nominated for one category each year, with nominations due July 15 annually.  Required elements must be submitted electronically.

The IMA Excellence Awards join a number of other recognition opportunities provided by the Iowa Museum Association, including the Leadership Award, Rising Star Award, New Museum recognition and Anniversary recognition.

More information is available at https://iowamuseums.org under PROGRAMS

The Iowa Museum Association was founded in 1976.  It’s mission is to work in the interests of Iowa museums to build organizational capacity, advocate to heighten awareness of the field, and foster community.

Iowa Museum Association programs include STEPS-IMA, a best practices educational program; IMA Plugged-In, a free monthly educational series; Teaching Iowa History, a program that supports educators in teaching Iowa history through primary sources from museum collections; Iowa Museum Week, a program that raises awareness of the essential nature of Iowa museums; an annual conference, and other formal and informal networking and educational programs.

Iowa’s museums include art centers and art museums, botanical gardens, children's museums, historic sites, history museums, historical societies, living history sites, nature centers, natural history museums, planetariums, science and technology centers, and zoos.