What Australian War Memorial does

The Australian War Memorial is a Commonwealth statutory authority located in Campbell (Canberra), ACT, that operates as a combined national memorial, museum, and archive documenting Australia's military history. Founded in 1941 off a concept conceived by official war correspondent C.E.W. Bean during the First World War, the institution serves four primary segments: general public visitors (1.14 million annually with a top 1% Tripadvisor ranking), school groups (K-12 educational visits), researchers/academics/genealogists (using the Charles Bean Research Centre), and veterans and families (commemorative services and Roll of Honour recognition). It maintains the National Collection of more than 479,000 catalogued items - including 312,057 photographs, 20,531 artworks, and 98,023 digitised records - plus a People database of over 933,000 individuals and a Roll of Honour containing 103,000+ names of Australians who died in war service.

Core products combine a permanent physical gallery complex (newly opened Anzac Hall, Anzac Atrium, Aircraft Hall, and existing First/Second World War galleries displaying over 7,000 objects), an online Collection Database and Search platform, the Charles Bean Research Centre for on-site archival work, audio tours in English/Mandarin/Hindi/Auslan ($10 per person), multiple podcast series, a National Collection Loans program to museums worldwide ($310 per item), education programs including the Simpson Prize, and venue hire operations managed by exclusive hospitality partner Trippas White Group. Digital infrastructure also includes Places of Pride (a national register of war memorials) and the Transcribe crowdsourced transcription platform. The Memorial is open 364 days per year with free entry.

The business model is predominantly government-funded: annual federal appropriations are the primary revenue source, supplemented by self-generated income from venue hire, retail merchandise, paid audio tours, collection loans, and donations. Free public entry and free educational access position the institution as a public-good deliverable. Distribution is anchored by a single physical Canberra campus plus global digital access (website, virtual tours, podcasts, online collection search) and outward loans. The Memorial is undertaking a major $550 million redevelopment project (2020-2028) that completed the Anzac Hall and Atrium opening on 23 June 2026.

Name

Australian War Memorial

Legal name

Australian War Memorial

Website

https://awm.gov.au

Company type

Public

Founded year

1941

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Australian War Memorial is a federally funded national memorial, museum, and archive in Canberra that commemorates Australian military service through galleries, a 479,000-item National Collection, a 103,000-name Roll of Honour, daily commemorative ceremonies, and research and education programs for the public, schools, researchers, and veterans.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

National Memorial and Military Museum

NAICS

Museums (71211), Historical Sites (712120), Libraries and Archives (51921)

akta.pro primary industry

History Museums (THAJADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cultural Heritage Institutions (Archives, Historic Houses, Monuments Foundations) (THAJADAI), Monuments, Statues & Memorials (THAJACAB), Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF), Archives, Special Collections & Preservation Operations (Rare Materials, Conservation) (EDAEAGAJ)

Keywords

• National war memorial
• Military history museum
• Military archive services
• Commemorative ceremonies
• Military heritage education

Headquarters

HQ city

Canberra

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: The Australian War Memorial is a federal government institution primarily funded through annual government appropriations. Revenue is derived from federal budget allocations rather than commercial operations.
2. Venue Hire and Hospitality: Revenue generated from venue hire services (Poppy's Café, Function Room, Theatre, Anzac Atrium for events) and hospitality operations managed by exclusive partner Trippas White Group. Fees for loan items also apply ($310 per item)
3. Retail Operations: The Memorial Shop sells merchandise including images, film, sound recordings, and Lone Pine Seedlings
4. Collection Services: Fees for digitisation services, research assistance, and collection copy requests

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Australian War Memorial is Australia's national memorial combining a shrine, world-class museum, and archive dedicated to commemorating the sacrifice of Australians who served in war. It operates a National Collection of over 479,000 items, permanent and temporary exhibitions, the Charles Bean Research Centre for archival research, the daily Last Post Ceremony, educational programs for schools, venue hire services, and an online retail shop. Entry to the physical Memorial is free for all visitors.

Product overview

The Australian War Memorial is a national memorial, world-class museum, and archive dedicated to commemorating Australia's military history and service. The institution operates as a unified platform combining multiple visitor services: a permanent gallery complex (with newly opened Anzac Hall, Anzac Atrium, and Aircraft Hall) displaying over 7,000 objects; the Collection Database and Search platform with 479,000+ items across multiple media types; the Charles Bean Research Centre for on-site and remote research; Guided and Self-Guided Tours including audio options in multiple languages; multiple Podcasts exploring military history; Education Programs for schools; the Honour Rolls including Roll of Honour (103,000+ names) and nightly projections; the daily Last Post Ceremony; Official Histories and Unit Diaries; National Collection Loans to institutions; Venue Hire for events; Memorial Shop; and cafés. Supporting digital platforms include Places of Pride (National Register of War Memorials) and Transcribe (crowdsourced transcription). Entry is free; the Memorial is open 364 days annually except Christmas Day, with galleries open 10am-5pm (progressive closure from 4pm). The Memorial is undergoing major redevelopment completing in 2028 at approximately $550 million.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Collection Database and Search Online searchable database containing over 479,000 items from the National Collection including photographs, films, art, sound recordings, digitised collections, heraldry, private records, published collections, technology items, official records, manuscripts, military events, units, places, library items, and over 933,000 people records. Accessible globally for individual researchers and the public.
• Exhibitions Permanent and temporary exhibitions exploring Australian military history across multiple conflicts, including Operation Kudu: Supporting Ukraine, Critical Witness: Official war artists after 1999, First World War Gallery, Second World War Gallery, Cold War Gallery, The Holocaust: Witnesses and Survivors, and the Hall of Valour. Open to general public visitors.
• Official Histories, Rolls and Unit Diaries Comprehensive official histories commissioned by government documenting Australia's involvement in conflicts, including unit war diaries, RAAF formation records, Navy reports of proceedings, and Records of Charles Bean. Serves as the national record of Australian military service for researchers and historians.
• Charles Bean Research Centre On-site research facility holding written records on Australian involvement in war and operational service. Open Monday-Friday 10am-4:30pm and Saturday 1pm-4:30pm. Offers family history volunteer service, collection digitisation requests, and phone enquiry service. Non-digitised records require on-site viewing.
• Guided and Self-Guided Tours 90-minute guided tours exploring the Commemorative Area and First and Second World War galleries. Highlights audio tour available in English, Mandarin, and Hindi at $10 per person with family discounts. Auslan tour available free for hearing-impaired visitors. Self-guided tours with portable audio devices covering multiple galleries.
• Last Post Ceremony Daily ceremony at 4:30pm AEDT in Commemorative Courtyard sharing the story of one individual from the Roll of Honour. Includes Australian National Anthem, piper's lament, wreath laying, individual story, Ode recitation by ADF personnel, and sounding of the Last Post. Free to attend.
• Honour Rolls Roll of Honour containing names of over 103,000 members of Australian armed forces who died during or as a result of war service. Commemorative Roll for Australians who died in service of Allied nations, Merchant Navy, and civilian organisations. Nightly name projections on Memorial façade from sunset to sunrise.
• Education Programs School visits, classroom resources, virtual excursions, Memorial Boxes (outreach resources with real and replica items), Simpson Prize national competition for Year 9-10 students, professional learning programs, and student showcase. Resources cover Australian military history from colonial era to present peacekeeping operations, aligned with Australian curriculum.
• National Collection Loans Outward loans program sharing National Collection items with museums, galleries and organisations worldwide. Loan fee of $310.00 per item (GST inclusive). Borrowers must submit application 12 months prior, complete facility and security assessment, and cover crating and transport costs. Memorial covers insurance during loan period.
• Memorial Shop Online retail store offering memorial merchandise, books, images, film and sound recordings, and Lone Pine seedlings grown from seeds descended from the original Lone Pine at Gallipoli.
• Venue Hire Event venue hire including Poppy's Café (cocktail capacity 175, banquet 110), Function Room with AV equipment (cocktail 220, banquet 180), Theatre with tiered seating and hearing loop (251 capacity), and Anzac Atrium for gala events (cocktail 500-700, banquet 350-400). Exclusive hospitality partner is Trippas White Group.
• Galleries Over 7,000 objects on display across multiple levels including Cold War Galleries (Vietnam, Korea, Malayan Emergency, Indonesian Confrontation), Anzac Atrium, Anzac Hall (featuring G for George Lancaster Bomber, Conflict in the Middle East, Australian Peacekeeping, Tarin Kowt Wall), First World War Gallery, Second World War Gallery, Hall of Valour, Commemorative Area, Roll of Honour, Hall of Memory, and Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1.14 million annual visitors
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• RSL Australia and RSL & Services Clubs AssociationcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Last Post Ceremony is proudly supported by RSL Australia and the RSL & Services Clubs Association, providing ceremonial support and community engagement for the daily commemorative ceremony held at 4:30pm.
• Trippas White GroupcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerTrippas White Group is the proud and exclusive hospitality partner of the Australian War Memorial, managing all venue hire and catering operations including Poppy's Café, The Cove Café, and event spaces.
• Australian Defence ForcecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Memorial works with the Australian Defence Force for ceremonial events including the daily Last Post Ceremony (featuring ADF personnel for Ode recitation), Anzac Day ceremonies, and Remembrance Day events.
• Commonwealth War Graves CommissionminorOthersExternal website linked for public use - provides information on war graves and Commonwealth military cemetery records.
• National Archives of AustraliaminorOthersExternal website linked for personal service record access - provides access to individual military service records held by the National Archives.
• Department of Veterans' AffairscoreOthersNominal rolls database connection providing access to defence force personnel records from World War Two, Korean War, Vietnam War, and First Gulf War.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Imperial War Museums: The UK's national museum organisation covering conflicts involving Britain and the Commonwealth from WWI onward, with five branches. Directly comparable as a national war memorial/museum/archive hybrid focused on military history commemoration and education.
• National WWII Museum: New Orleans-based museum focused on the American experience in WWII, with similar combination of large artifact displays, oral histories, educational programs, and family history research services. Comparable in mission and programming though narrower in conflict scope.
• Mémorial de Caen: French museum and memorial in Normandy focused on 20th-century conflicts, particularly D-Day and WWII, combining museum, archive, and research functions. Comparable in mission, scope, and memorial/museum hybrid model.
• Canadian War Museum: Canada's national museum of military history, operated by the Canadian Museum of History. Closest geographic and structural peer to AWM, with similar federal funding, gallery-based exhibits, and national commemorative mandate.

Emerging players

• Pritzker Military Museum & Library: Chicago-based military history museum and research library focused on citizen-soldier experience. Comparable in archival/research mission and family history services, though smaller and privately funded.

Others

• National Archives of Australia: Federal archive holding official government records including military service records. Comparable archival function to AWM's Charles Bean Research Centre, with overlapping audience of family historians and researchers.

Regional players

• Te Papa Tongarewa (Museum of New Zealand): New Zealand's national museum combining cultural heritage, natural history, and commemorative functions under a single institution. Comparable as a Southern Hemisphere national museum with memorial and archive components.
• National Museum of Australia: Australia's national museum of social history, also located in Canberra and federally funded. Operates as a sister institution to AWM with overlapping educational programming and complementary curatorial focus on Australian history more broadly.
• Australian National Maritime Museum: Federally funded maritime museum in Sydney covering Australia's naval heritage. Comparable as another Commonwealth-funded cultural institution with military-related collections, though focused on naval history.

Broad incumbents

• Smithsonian National Museum of American History: A major US federally funded museum with significant military history holdings as part of a broader mandate. Comparable in scale, federal backing, and large collection, though broader in subject area than AWM's military focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/AustWarMemorial
• Facebookfacebook.com/AWMemorial
• Instagraminstagram.com/awmemorial
• Xx.com/AWMemorial

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Australian War Memorial