Art Fund Prize 2012 - vote for Museum of the Year

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The UK’s Art Fund charity, which helps museums and galleries acquire works of art, has announced the longlist of nominees for its annual prize of £100,000, given to the institution most deserving of the title ‘Museum of the Year’. The public are invited to vote – and if you do, you will be included in a prize drawer for an iPad (perhaps you can take inspiration from David Hockney’s use of his iPad to create your own art).

Bletchley Park, Milton Keynes, Bucks: The Life and Works of Alan Turing
Bletchley Park is the historic site of secret British codebreaking activities during the Second World War and birthplace of the modern computer.


The Hepworth Wakefield, Wakefield, West Yorkshire: The Hepworth Wakefield

Designed by acclaimed architect David Chipperfield, Hepworth Wakefield opened in May 2011 following a £35 million development bringing together Wakefield's art collection.

The Holburne Museum, Bath, Somerset: The Holburne Museum Development Project

The Holburne Museum reopened in May 2011 following a £11.4 million refurbishment. The new contemporary extension attracted over 100,000 people within the first six months of reopening.

M Shed, Bristol: A New Museum for Bristol

Bristol's new museum is devoted to telling the story of the city and its people. The £27 million development opened in June 2011 and has already attracted almost 450,000 visitors.

The National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh: Portrait of the Nation

The Scottish National Portrait Gallery reopened following a £17.6 million transformation in December 2011, the first refurbishment in the museum's 120-year history.

National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh: National Museum of Scotland Development

The £47.4 million redevelopment of the National Museum of Scotland aimed to reinvent the grand Victorian vision of an encyclopedic museum for the contemporary era.

Riverside Museum, Scotland's Museum of Transport and Travel, Glasgow: Riverside Museum Project

Incorporating Glasgow's well-loved Museum of Transport with new ways of displaying and interpreting the collections, the Riverside Museum opened in June 2011.

Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery, Exeter, Devon: RAMM Development Project

With collections ranging from fine art to archaeology, botany to geology, the museum attracted over 50,000 visitors within its first month of reopening in December 2011.

Turner Contemporary, Margate, Kent: Turner Contemporary

Turner Contemporary is the new art gallery for Margate, Kent, which opened in April 2011 following a £17 million development.

Watts Gallery, Guildford, Surrey: The Watts Gallery Hope Project

Watts Gallery, devoted to the work of Victorian painter George Frederic Watts (1817–1904), has been longlisted for the prize following the success of its £10 million refurbishment.