Panama Launches Contest for New Reina Torres de Araúz Museum Logo

Panama's Ministry of Culture, in partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), has initiated a contest seeking a new visual identity for the Reina Torres de Araúz Anthropological Museum (MARTA). This initiative is a key component of the museum's comprehensive restoration project, aiming to revitalize the historic building and enhance its cultural significance.

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Museums are the memory of peoples: spaces where the past converses with the present and where future generations will find the keys to understand our origins and our path as a nation.

The competition offers a single prize of $10,000 for the most compelling design, which will be selected by an expert jury. The contest's details and regulations were officially published on July 15, 2026. Minister of Culture María Eugenia Herrera emphasized that the project aligns with national efforts to preserve and promote Panama's historical and cultural memory, viewing museums as vital spaces where the past informs the present and future.

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This restoration is not just about recovering a historic building, but about returning a renewed space to the country for research, education, citizen encounters, and the dissemination of knowledge about our history and cultures.

Restoration work on the museum's headquarters is already 70% complete, signifying a substantial commitment to reviving this important cultural landmark. Director of Museums Raúl Castro Zachrisson highlighted that the contest is an opportunity for Panamanian talent to create a lasting symbol for one of the nation's most significant museums. Participants must be adult Panamanian citizens, either by birth or naturalization with at least five years of residency. Submissions must be original, unpublished, and explicitly exclude designs generated by artificial intelligence or similar software. A descriptive statement of up to 250 words justifying the design's historical context, creative concept, and symbolic meaning is also required. The deadline for submissions is August 15, 2026.

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More than designing a logo, they will have the opportunity to create a symbol that will represent one of the most important museums in Panama and that will be part of our institutional heritage for many years.