The winner of the Gulbenkian Prize for Museum of the Year 2007 will be announced at an evening ceremony on May 24 2007. But who do 24 Hour Museum readers think should win the prize?
The voting for the 2007 Readers' Poll for the Gulbenkian Prize is now closed
In the last few months since the 2007 Gulbenkian Prize Museum of the Year longlist was announced in February, 24 Hour Museum readers have flooded our people's poll virtual ballot box with 4,378 votes for the museum they wanted to see win the Gulbenkian Museum prize.
Voting for the 24 Hour Museum People's Poll is now closed and we now have the top five. It's pretty close to the official shortlist, with the exception of the Warner Textile Archive, which thanks to our reader's votes even beat one of the officially shortlisted museums. But which one? And which museum is the overall winner of our unofficial People's Vote?
All will be revealed by midday on May 23 - before the official 2007 Gulbenkian Museum of the Year is announced at a ceremony at London's RIBA later in the evening.
But for now we give you a selection of the comments that have arrived in the 24 Hour Museum inbox over the last few months - each of them revealing just how much our museums and galleries mean to the thousands upon thousands of people who visit them...
Just click on the highlighted museum names below to find out what people think about their local museum or gallery.
The Queen's Boudoir at Kew Palace. © Historic Royal Palaces / newsteam.co.uk
Kew Palace."A lesson for everyone working in the field of how these things should be done.”
The Warner Textile Archive is housed in the original mill where many of the textiles were created. © Braintree District Museum Trust
Warner Textile Archive. "Places like Braintree don’t win national competitions; now it deserves to do so."
Spitfire LA198, hanging from the roof of Kelvingrove's west court. © Glasgow City Council (Museums)
Kelvingrove. "Kelvingrove is one of Scotland’s, if not the world’s, most beautiful visitor attractions and is all the better after the recent restoration!"
The entrance way and shop at Weston Park Museum. © Sheffield Museums Trust
Weston Park Museum. "As a child I would be dragged to museums around the country by my parents. Now my children drag us to the museum without fail every weekend."
The Grade I Listed Pallant House Gallery now has a state of the art gallery extension. © Pallant House Gallery
Pallant House Art Gallery. “This is Chichester’s pride and joy ... in fact it is the joy of anyone who enjoys looking at and getting information about art ..."
The new aquarium at the Horniman Museum has already proved a big hit with children. © Laura Mtungwazi
Horniman Museum. “Children spend ages gazing at Jelly-fish and counting frogs while adults can learn about all manner of things including the sex-life of a sea-horse!"
The Women's Library tackles prostitution in its latest exhibition. © Rachel Hayward/24 Hour Museum
The Women's Library. "Prostitution and issues surrounding it have been kept away from the public eye. This is a brave, thoughtful and thought-provoking exhibition. But more than that it is an important and essential one.”
Scotland & Medicine has brought the country's fantastic medical collections to a much wider audience. © Scotland & Medicine
. “I don't normally go to museums, I think they are boring. But, my boyfriend dragged me along to the Anatomy Acts exhibition and I absolutely loved it."
Jameel Gallery with the impressive Ardabil carpet. © Richard Waite
Jameel Gallery of Islamic Art. "I felt a sense of peace and tranquility surround me as I walked around. I found the overall experience in the Jameel Gallery to be an immensely rewarding and enjoyable one."
