Two Egyptian heritage initiatives, a museum exhibition on the sunken ancient cities of Canopus and Heracleion and a 100-day digital campaign against historical misinformation, have been named finalists for the 2026 ICOM COMMS Awards, according to Egypt Independent. Voting is currently underway, Egypt Independent reported; the finalists were shortlisted by a jury and the winners are decided by public vote, according to ICOM COMMS' own awards page, with the results scheduled for 4 December at a conference in Finland.
The exhibition, called "Secrets of the Sunken City," opened at the Alexandria National Museum in August 2025, displaying 86 artefacts recovered from Canopus and Heracleion, two cities that sank into Abu Qir Bay east of Alexandria in antiquity, according to a Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announcement, which said the show was due to run for six months. It was inaugurated by Egypt's tourism and antiquities minister together with the governor of Alexandria, the ministry said. Egypt Independent reported that the exhibition's media reach was strong enough that organisers extended its run by a further six months; neither outlet gave a new closing date, and no source consulted for this report confirmed the exhibition was still open in October 2026.
The ministry's own announcement quoted the minister describing Alexandria as one of the world's most beautiful cities, with a blend of history and modernity that he said deserved a greater place on the global tourism map.
Heracleion and Canopus were ancient port cities that sank beneath Abu Qir Bay in antiquity. French underwater archaeologist Franck Goddio and his European Institute for Underwater Archaeology team discovered the submerged city of Thonis-Heracleion in 2000, locating it roughly 6.5 kilometres off today's coastline in the western part of the bay, according to Franck Goddio's own project site. Canopus lay nearby, and each year a ceremonial boat carried the god Osiris in procession from Heracleion's great temple to his shrine in Canopus, a rite that Goddio's team says created "a mystical tie between the two neighbouring cities." The 86 pieces on display at the Alexandria National Museum come from the decades of excavation that followed that rediscovery.
The second finalist, "100 Days of Heritage Truth," ran for 100 consecutive days in a "Fact vs Myth" format, using short, source-checked posts to push back on common misconceptions about ancient Egypt. The campaign was produced by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities' General Department of Archaeological Awareness and published in seven languages to reach an international audience, according to Egypt Independent.
Rasha Kamal, the department's director general, said the seven-language rollout was designed to widen the campaign's international reach and raise public awareness of heritage, according to Egypt Independent.
The Alexandria exhibition is a finalist in the Best Press Office Campaign category, while the antiquities awareness campaign is competing in the Best Digital or Social Media Campaign category — the official names used on ICOM COMMS' own list of award categories, matching Egypt Independent's report. The ICOM COMMS Awards are run by ICOM COMMS, the International Council of Museums' committee for communications, marketing and audience engagement, which renamed itself from ICOM MPR in 2024.
Winners will be announced at the joint annual conference of ICOM COMMS and ICOMON, the ICOM committee for money and banking museums, at the Heureka Science Center in Vantaa, Finland, with the awards presentation scheduled for 4 December, according to Egypt Independent and ICOM COMMS' own awards page. Neither source named the other finalists competing in the two categories against the Egyptian entries.
For the Alexandria National Museum, the nomination is a second wave of recognition for an exhibition that was already drawing crowds: Egypt Independent reported that the campaign's media reach was strong enough to prompt the six-month extension, keeping the 86 recovered pieces on public display well beyond their original closing date.
For the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities' General Department of Archaeological Awareness, a finalist place recognises a different kind of outreach: rather than a physical exhibition, "100 Days of Heritage Truth" was built as a sustained social media effort, publishing a new fact-checked post each day for over three months and translating the material into seven languages so it could reach audiences well beyond Egypt.
Both campaigns now wait on the outcome of judging that Egypt Independent reported was still in progress as of its mid-September report, with the formal result reserved for the Vantaa conference on 4 December.
Frequently asked questions
What is the "Secrets of the Sunken City" exhibition?
It is an exhibition at the Alexandria National Museum displaying 86 artefacts recovered from Canopus and Heracleion, ancient cities submerged in Abu Qir Bay east of Alexandria. It opened in August 2025 and was later extended by six months because of the attention it drew, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and Egypt Independent.
What is the "100 Days of Heritage Truth" campaign?
It is a 100-day digital awareness drive run by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities' General Department of Archaeological Awareness. Built around a "Fact vs Myth" format, it published source-checked content daily in seven languages to counter common misconceptions about ancient Egypt, according to Egypt Independent.
What are the ICOM COMMS Awards?
They are awards run by ICOM COMMS, the International Council of Museums' committee for communications, marketing and audience engagement (renamed from ICOM MPR in 2024), recognising museum campaigns in categories such as press office media work and digital or social media activity.
When will the winners be announced?
During the joint annual conference of ICOM COMMS and ICOMON, the ICOM committee for money and banking museums, at the Heureka Science Center in Vantaa, Finland, with the presentation scheduled for 4 December 2026, according to Egypt Independent and ICOM COMMS' own awards page.
What were Heracleion and Canopus?
They were ancient port cities that sank beneath Abu Qir Bay east of Alexandria. French underwater archaeologist Franck Goddio and his team discovered Thonis-Heracleion in 2000, about 6.5 kilometres off today's coastline, while Canopus lay nearby and was linked to it by an annual procession that carried a ceremonial boat between the two cities' temples, according to Franck Goddio's own project site.
