The NMoQ Metaverse Pilot Project offers a live digital museum environment.
Doha, Qatar: Qatar Museums (QM) has earned nine international recognitions to date in 2026 across two leading global digital awards programmes, The Webby Awards and Awwwards.
The recognised projects span AI-powered visitor tools, immersive digital environments, and online cultural platforms designed to connect global audiences with Qatar’s museums, heritage, and collections.
Director of Digital Experience at Qatar Museums, Asma Al-Jefairi, commented: “These results show how Qatar Museums is using digital tools to make culture more accessible, engaging, and relevant to audiences not just in Qatar, but worldwide. By using advanced technologies such as generative AI and immersive 3D environments, we are preserving our heritage while reimagining how the world interacts with it.”
Widely regarded as the “Internet’s highest honour,” The Webby Awards recognised Qatar Museums across multiple categories this year. Its shortlisted projects placed among the top 17 per cent of nearly 13,000 entries from over 70 countries.
Notably, Honouree Awards were received by the Qatar Museums AI Tour (Video & Film, Trailer and AI, Consumer Application), and the National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ) Metaverse Pilot Project (Immersive Content, Arts, Fashion & Culture).
The Qatar Museums AI Tour is the world’s first initiative of its kind, offering an AI-enabled platform to explore Qatar’s cultural landscape. It supports personalised discovery and interactive learning across museums, heritage sites, and public art locations.
The initiative enhances cultural access and understanding while supporting Qatar’s broader digital transformation efforts. It was developed in partnership with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.
Meanwhile, the NMoQ Metaverse Pilot Project offers a live digital museum environment combining 3D spaces, augmented reality, extended reality, and AI-driven interaction.
Qatar Museums also received six recognitions from Awwwards, a Spain-based organisation that evaluates the world’s best web designers and developers. From a pool of over 15,000 annual submissions, QM’s digital platforms were reviewed by a jury of over 300 global experts.
Qatar Museums received five Ribbons and one Honourable Mention, and awarded projects include the Qatar Museums website, Qatar Museums AI Tour, Mathaf Encyclopedia, the Design Doha website, and the Qatar Museums Online Collection.
The Mathaf Encyclopedia, relaunched in late 2025, provides peer-reviewed, bilingual content on modern and contemporary Arab artists, while the Design Doha website and QM Online Collection offer thousands of artworks and artefacts in 2D and 3D, and highlight QM’s digital breadth.
Ribbon awards are given to websites that successfully pass jury evaluation across design, usability, creativity, and content. Honourable Mentions are awarded to projects that achieve high jury scores and stand out within the global selection pool.
