The Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford is shortlisted for £100,000 prize

The attraction at the Parks Road venue next to Oxford University’s Museum of Natural History, is one of five finalists and staff will find out tomorrow if it has won.

The annual award celebrates innovation and exceptional achievement in museums and galleries across the UK.

The other four museums shortlisted for the title are HMS Caroline, Belfast; Nottingham Contemporary; St Fagans National Museum of History, Cardiff; and V&A Dundee.

The winning museum will be announced at a ceremony at the Science Museum in London.

The other shortlisted museums will receive £10,000 each in recognition of their achievements.

The Pitt Rivers has been shortlisted for its creative programmes of reinvention and reinterpretation, which show a much-loved Victorian space challenging perceptions and demonstrating the vital role museums can play in contemporary society.

Last year saw the Pitt Rivers welcome a record-breaking half a million visitors and deliver a range of powerful exhibitions.

Dr Laura Van Broekhoven, director of the Pitt Rivers Museum, said: “We are thrilled to have been shortlisted for the Museum of the Year Award, and to have the support of the Art Fund.”