A GROUNDBREAKING immersive museum in Cornwall has landed one of the themed entertainment industry’s highest honours after scooping a prestigious international award in the United States.

The team behind The Story of Emily travelled to Orlando, Florida, to collect the Outstanding Achievement award in the museum category at the 32nd Annual Thea Awards, presented by the Themed Entertainment Association.

The attraction, based in the Cornish village of St Ive, was the only UK organisation to receive recognition at this year’s global awards, widely regarded as the highest accolade in themed entertainment and immersive visitor experiences.

The win caps a remarkable few weeks for the attraction, which has also been shortlisted in the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2026 as New Tourism Business of the Year. That award will be presented at Aerospace Bristol beneath Concorde Alpha Foxtrot on June 3.

The Story of Emily tells the remarkable story of Emily Hobhouse, the British humanitarian born in Cornwall who campaigned to save the lives of women and children during the Second Anglo-Boer War between 1899 and 1902.

Despite her efforts exposing the suffering inside British concentration camps in South Africa, Hobhouse was branded a traitor and largely erased from British history for generations.

Now her story has been reimagined through a state-of-the-art immersive experience at her former childhood Rectory home.

The attraction combines a carefully restored heritage building with a RIBA award-winning War Rooms experience using film, sound, objects and sensory storytelling to place visitors at the centre of Hobhouse’s extraordinary life and work. Organisers say the experience is designed to move audiences beyond simply observing history into emotionally living it.

Claire Corbett, Head of Marketing at The Story of Emily, said the international recognition was a huge moment for both the attraction and Cornwall’s cultural sector.

“We are immensely proud to receive the Thea Award and to see our creativity, innovation and vision celebrated on an international stage,” she said. “The Story of Emily is a new and exciting contribution to the UK’s cultural landscape and we are committed to its ongoing success.

“2026 is an important year for us. Not only have we picked up our first international award, but we will also commemorate the centenary of Emily’s life and death with a landmark event on June 13, a moment that will help reframe Emily Hobhouse’s place in British history.”

Matt Barton, International Board President of the Themed Entertainment Association, said: “What makes a Thea Award so meaningful is that a small regional museum can stand shoulder to shoulder with the world’s largest attractions.

“It is not about commercial success. It is about excellence and quality of experience. That is what gives a Thea global credibility and why it is something to celebrate loudly and proudly.”

The latest success is expected to boost visitor numbers even further as the attraction prepares for a busy summer season. Since opening, the museum has drawn praise for blending cutting-edge immersive technology with personal storytelling, while shining a fresh spotlight on one of Cornwall’s most overlooked historical figures and her enduring humanitarian legacy.

Judges praised the attraction for redefining expectations of what a historical museum can offer visitors, combining architecture, performance, technology and human connection in a way that delivers emotional impact and historical understanding. The award is seen as another major boost for Cornwall’s cultural tourism sector.