The Éva Award was created by Lajos Tóth (1934–2022) in 2009, in honour of his wife, Éva Szegedi (1940–2006), who worked for the Herman Ottó Museum as a museum educator. The award was managed by the advisory board of the Éva Foundation, which consisted of a select number of Hungarian and Slovak museum experts. The goal of the Foundation was to support the achievement of new scientific and museological findings within the scope of museum activities that are outstanding on an international scale as well. The Foundation also aimed to acknowledge the major lifetime achievements of individuals living in the northern regions of Central Eastern Europe, which is primarily inhabited by Hungarians. The Foundation awarded a total of ten Hungarian and Slovak museologists with the Éva Award between 2009 and 2014.