In Estonia, conversation cards named best museum souvenir — ERR News
In Estonia, the Estonian Health Museum's “Jutud tagataskust” (“Tales in Your Back Pocket”) conversation cards took first place in the EMMA 2026 museum souvenir competition. The awards ceremony took place on September 28 at the Estonian National Museum, ERR News reports.
Twenty-three museums took part in the competition, presenting 42 products and product lines. The entries included badges, handmade jewelry, board games, seed kits and a bread-baking kit.
Conversation cards
The winning set is connected to the “Hüvasti, noorus!” (“Goodbye, Youth!”) exhibition and earned the museum a prize of €1,000. The jury noted the cards' innovative format, distinctive character and professional execution.
The cards were created primarily for communication and companionship among older people. At the same time, as ERR News notes, in a world focused on social media, they can help people of all ages start and sustain conversations.
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Kristi Paatsi, a board member of the Estonian Museum Association and organizer of the competition, said that a good museum souvenir is not limited to an item bearing an institution's logo. According to her, the best products convey the museum's story, are practical and allow visitors to take part of the museum experience home.
Other recognized souvenirs
Second place and €600 went to the “Uninvited Guests of the Estonian Open Air Museum” series of wooden insect-shaped brooches. They depict wood-destroying pests, including woodworm beetles and house longhorn beetles. The brooches were hand-painted by museum conservator Marike Laht.
Third place and €400 went to the Iisaku Kihelkonna Museum for a traditional knitted broom, “tutiviht.” The €500 Muuseumikaart prize for product development was awarded to the Tallinn City Museum for “Legend Chocolate”: QR codes on the chocolate packaging allow users to listen to Tallinn legends in three languages.
The jury also gave special recognition to the “Maasikas ja tigu” board game by the Kondas Centre, a stationery set by the TYPA Printing and Paper Arts Centre, and washed sheep wool by the Rural Curiosity Centre. The EMMA competition has been held every two years since 2009.
