International Museum Day 2025: The Future of Museums in Rapidly Changing Communities

27 May 2025

09:30 AM - 04:00 PM

The Antiquities Museum, affiliated with the Cultural Outreach Sector at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, will celebrate International Museum Day on Tuesday, May 27, 2025, from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM, at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, beginning in the Antiquities Museum and then moving to the Auditorium Hall.

May 18 of each year has been designated for global celebration of International Museum Day, a date set by the International Council of Museums (ICOM). This year’s theme is:
"The Future of Museums in Rapidly Changing Communities",
which aims to highlight the role of museums in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—particularly decent work and economic growth through programs that support the local economy and activate the role of local communities to improve living standards, ensure accessibility of museums to all segments of society (with special attention to people with disabilities and special needs), promote creativity, innovation, and technological advancement, and contribute to building sustainable cities and communities. This is achieved through the active role of museums in preserving and raising awareness of important cultural, natural, and civilizational heritage.
For the first time, the Antiquities Museum is launching a global initiative with a strong identity: a competition open to independent artists and creators, as part of the museum’s efforts to serve the widest possible range of visitors and users. A multi-faceted plan has been developed to allow for maximum participation from applicants of diverse cultural backgrounds, ahead of the celebration date. 

The celebration will begin with a presentation on the evolution of museums throughout history, weaving together a rich tapestry of history, culture, and technology—from ancient street parades showcasing rare treasures or exotic animals, to the now-familiar concept of museums as buildings that preserve and display artifacts through exceptional curatorial practices. The presentation will also highlight the latest technological innovations, particularly smartphone-accessible virtual museums, which emerged prominently during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. These virtual platforms now strongly compete as alternative ways to visit museums from home, serving a broader audience of users, visitors, and researchers. This section of the event is organized in collaboration with Engineer Ahmed Amara, founder of Millennium for Educational Technology.

The celebration will conclude with a showcase of works submitted by participants in the competition, followed by the announcement of the best entries, which will receive symbolic prizes.

To learn more about the competition details and registration requirements, click here (Arabic).

Important dates

Please note that the deadline for registration in the contest is Sunday, May 25, 2025, at 12:00 PM. The final deadline for submitting participants' work is Monday, May 26, 2025, at 3:00 PM.

Submissions can be delivered in one of the following two ways: 

• Upload the work to wetransfer.com and send the download link via email to both of the following addresses:

Antiquities.info.desk@gmail.com
Ramy.rifaat@bibalex.org

• Or by submitting the work on a flash memory at the above-mentioned deadline.

 Good luck to all participants!