Istanbul Toy Museum chosen as a nominee for EMA awards

ISTANBUL - Anatolia News Agency

The Istanbul Toy Museum, opened by poet-writer Sunay Akın and operating in a historical building in Göztepe neighborhood, is one of the nominees for the best toy museum award.

Istanbul Toy Museum’s application for the 2012 Best European Children’s Museum Award has been accepted. 

According to a written statement made by the museum, the award will be presented by the European Museum Academy (EMA) in Bologna, Italy, and the application for the award was accepted after some inspections in the museum. 

The statement said the Istanbul Toy Museum had become one of the most respected toy museums in the world. 

“EMA gives awards to children’s museums that it chooses every year. The Istanbul Toy Museum has made an application to get this award. On Jan. 17, 2012, EMA President Andreja Rihter and Slovenia’s Celje University Director Tanja Rozanbergar inspected the museum. The best 13 children’s and toy museums from nine countries were announced on Feb. 20 during a meeting. The Istanbul Toy Museum is one of these museums and the announcement also approves the museum’s significance among the best toy museums in the world.”

The museum’s founder, poet and writer Sunay Akın, said they believed the toy museum was one of the best examples in the world. 

Austrian Frida Fred-Graz Children’s Museum; Estonian Miia-Milla-Manda and Tallin Museum; German Labyrinth Children’s Museum; Berlin-Junges Schloss and Stuttgart Children’s Museum; Italian START-Creative Culture Laboratory; Dutch Jewish History Museum, Tropenmuseum Children’s Museum, Children Books Museum and Villa Zebra Museum; Filipino Pambata Museum; Swedish Jamtil Museum; and British Children Stories Museum will be the other museums represented at the award ceremony that will be organized on March 21 in Bologna, Italy.