The enamelled silver prize bowl designed by award-winning metalwork artist, Vladimir Böhm - the winning institution will hold on to it for a year. Courtesy The Gulbenkian Prize.

The voting for the 2007 Readers' Poll for the Gulbenkian Prize is now closed

The long list of contenders for Britain’s biggest arts prize, the Gulbenkian Prize for Museums and Galleries, was announced on February 2 2007 and contains its usual array of entries - from a new museum aquarium to an exhibition about prostitution.

First prize will go to the museum or gallery judged to have completed the most worthy innovation in the last year - they will also scoop £100,000. Last year’s winner, Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s ship, ss Great Britain in Bristol, has enjoyed a 40% increase in visitors in the last year and has just been short-listed for the European Museum of the Year award.

24 Hour Museum has been supporting the prize since its inception in 2003 and once again this year we are asking readers to vote for the museum or gallery they would like to see win the prize. See the bottom of this story for voting links.

Over the next two weeks we will be profiling all of the long-listed museums. Our votes won't sway the jury but we promise to tell them about the public's views.

2006 Gulbenkian Winner, ss Great Britain. © ss Great Britain

The Prize is given annually to one museum or gallery anywhere in the UK, and is open to a wide range of projects, both large and small. This year’s long list includes engaging art and design, exceptionally high-quality collections, and substantial specialist archive holdings.

“This year’s long list shows great variety and contrast,” said Francine Stock, Chair of the judging panel, “from a textile study collection to a substantial metropolitan museum, from a dedicated library and a spectacular National museum exhibition to a stylish and enterprising arts centre."

"We were hugely impressed by the way these entries seek to engage audiences. This is a truly inspiring long list and the next stage of our judging process will be a really tough challenge.”

A shortlist of four museums will be announced in early April 2007. The winner will be announced on Thursday May 24 at the Royal Institute of British Architects in London during Museum and Galleries Month 2007.

This year’s long list in alphabetical order:

Braintree District Museum for the Warner Textile Archive, Essex
A unique record of the manufacture and design of textiles over the past 200 years, housed in the original 19th century mill where most of the textiles were created.

The Warner Textile Archive is housed in the original mill where many of the textiles were created. © Braintree Museum

De La Warr Pavilion for its re-launch, Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex
One of the world's finest examples of Modernist architecture, now a leading centre for contemporary art, architecture, education and live performance.

View from De La Warr Pavilion, south terrace. © Bridget Smith

Horniman Museum for their new Aquarium, London
An inventive and innovative display of exotic fish and other sea creatures, aimed at young museum visitors. It has attracted over 110,000 visitors in its first five months.

Horniman Aquarium Curator Kerwin Porter. © Horniman Museum

Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum for their New Century Project, Glasgow
A £28m project to restore and re-display Glasgow’s magnificent civic art gallery and museum, creating a universal space for the 21st century.

Spitfire LA198 hangs from the roof of Kelvingrove's west court. © Glasgow City Council (Museums)

Kew Palace, Historic Royal Palaces, Surrey
Restoration of King George III’s country retreat and Britain’s smallest royal palace, revealing rooms that have not been seen for 200 years.

Kew Palace exterior, showing the lift built on the site of the former Privy shaft. © Historic Royal Palaces / newsteam.co.uk

Pallant House Gallery, Chichester, West Sussex
Contemporary building space combined with a Grade I listed Queen Anne townhouse to exhibit one of the world’s best 20th century British art collections.

The Grade I Listed Pallant House Gallery now has a state of the art gallery extension on it. © Pallant House Gallery

Scotland & Medicine: Collections & Connections, Scotland
This is a unique partnership between all the major medical collections in Scottish museums, libraries and archives, led by Surgeon's Hall Museum in Edinburgh. Through a highly popular touring exhibition, Anatomy Acts, a website, and joint marketing, this initiative has opened up these collections to new audiences in Scotland and the rest of the world.

John Bannister lecturing on anatomy, part of the story of medicine in Scotland brought together in an innovative museum collaboration. © Glasgow University Special Collections

V&A for The Jameel Gallery of Islamic Art, London
This stunning gallery displays some 400 objects of exquisite beauty. This is one of the most extensive and renowned collections of Islamic art in the world.

Jameel Gallery looking south towards the Ardabil carpet and the minbar of Sultan Qa'itbay, made for a mosque in Cairo. © Richard Waite

Weston Park Museum, Sheffield
£19m transformation to create an accessible, welcoming and vibrant place of culture and learning, attracting 55,000 visitors, including school and community groups, in the first 15 days of opening.

The What On Earth Galleries at Weston Park showcase the city's famous natural history collection. © Sheffield Museums Trust

The Women's Library for the exhibition, ‘Prostitution: What’s Going On?’ London Metropolitan University, London
A provocative exhibition and events programme marking the centenary of the death of Josephine Butler, the Victorian social reformer and campaigner for the rights of prostituted women.

Prostitution - What's Going On? A hard hitting and important exhibition at the Women's Library. Photo © Rachel Hayward / 24 Hour Museum

Visiting the ten shortlisted museums and arguing about the shortlist and eventual winner is a judging panel that represents a wide range of artistic, scientific and academic interests and museum experience. As well as author and broadcaster Francine Stock as chair, it comprises:

Tristram Besterman - museum consultant, former director of Manchester Museum
Richard Calvocoressi – Director of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art in Edinburgh, Director-elect of the Henry Moore Foundation
Jonathan Glancey - The Guardian’s Architecture and Design Editor
Dr Mark Miodownik – materials scientist, head of the Materials Research Group at King's College London, Director of the Materials Library
Dan Snow - historian and broadcaster
Mohini Sule – cultural broadcaster for programmes including BBC Culture Show and The People’s Museum

The 24 Hour Museum Gulbenkian Prize People's Vote!

Judges are now in the process of visiting the museums shortlisted for the UK’s largest arts prize, the Gulbenkian Prize for Museum of the Year. Here at the 24 Hour Museum, we want to know who you think should win the prize.

Click on one of the links below to vote for the shortlisted museum you think should receive the £100,000 prize.

To vote for Braintree District Museum in Essex, click here.

To vote for De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill-on-Sea, click here.

To vote for Horniman Museum in London, click here.

To vote for Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum in Glasgow, click here.

To vote for Kew Palace in Surrey, click here.

To vote for Pallant House Gallery in West Sussex, click here.

To vote for Scotland & Medicine in Edinburgh, click here.

To vote for The Jameel Gallery of Islamic Art at the V&A in London, click here

To vote for Weston Park Museum in Sheffield, click here

To vote for The Women's Library in London click here