Horniman Aquarium Nominated For Gulbenkian Prize

The new Aquarium at the Horniman Museum has been long-listed for the prestigious Gulbenkian Prize for museums and galleries. The Gulbenkian Prize is, at £100,000, Britain's largest single arts prize and is awarded each year to one museum or gallery.

Janet Vitmayer, Director of the Horniman Museum: "We are absolutely delighted with the nomination. The Gulbenkian Prize is highly regarded and it's such a thrill to be long-listed. The new Aquarium has been incredibly popular with visitors to the Horniman Museum, especially with families with young children. The Gulbenkian nomination is recognition for all the hard work the team put in to designing, building and developing the Aquarium."

The Horniman Museum is one of ten organisations long-listed for the 2007 awards. A shortlist of four will be confirmed in April, with the overall winner being announced during a ceremony to be held in London on 24 May. Past winners of the Gulbenkian Prize for museums and galleries include Brunel's ss Great Britain in Bristol and Big Pit: National Mining Museum of Wales.

Forest Hill's Horniman Museum was one of the earliest museums to showcase living collections when it opened an Aquarium in 1903, making it Britain's first free public Aquarium. However, the new Aquarium, which opened in July 2006, makes use of cutting edge technologies, including one of Europe's largest jellyfish tanks that simulates ocean currents. The Aquarium has been specially designed so that even the youngest visitors can experience the beautiful displays and fish. So far, the Aquarium has attracted 110,000 visitors since it opened. Admission to the Horniman Aquarium is free.

Janet Vitmayer: "The Horniman Aquarium takes you on a journey from a British pond to a Rainforest in Guyana with 150 species in 15 displays. Children are really enjoying the atmospheric viewing dens, the colourful fish in the Fijian Coral Reef and watching out for the waves in the rock pool area."

The Gulbenkian Prize for museums and galleries celebrates the innovative work taking place in museums and galleries in the UK which challenges the traditional public perception of their role. Janet Vitmayer: "We are keeping all our fingers crossed that we make the short-list in April. To win the Gulbenkian Prize in May would be an incredible achievement." -- www.horniman.ac.uk