The British Museum won the country’s most lucrative arts award

Considered the UK's largest prize for museums has been given to the British Museum. It won the award for its A History of the World, a BBC-partnered series that charts the millennia through 100 objects. It is the first triumph for a London-based national museum in the competition's nine year history.

‘A History of the World series’ was made in partnership with the BBC and included 100 separate 15-minute programmes on Radio 4 detailing objects in the collection by the museum's director, Neil MacGregor.

The museum beat three considerably smaller institutions also on the Art Fund prize shortlist, won £100,000. It was presented by the culture secretary, Jeremy Hunt, at a ceremony in London on Wednesday night.

Michael Portillo, who chaired the judges, praised the museum's use of new technology. He said: "We were impressed by the truly global scope of the British Museum's project, which combined intellectual rigor and open heartedness, and went far beyond the boundaries of the museum's walls.

"Above all, we felt that this project, which showed a truly pioneering use of digital media, has led the way for museums to interact with their audiences in new and different ways. Without changing the core of the British Museum's purpose, people have and are continuing to engage with objects in an innovative way as a consequence of this project."

Mr. MacGregor said the series was a result of working with museums across the UK and that the prize money would be used to pay for a series of spotlight tours, lending highlights from the museum's collection across the country.

‘A History of the World’ involved 550 heritage partners, from Shetland to the Scilly Isles, who worked hand in hand with the BBC to explore global stories through museum collections of every complexion.

Meanwhile, construction on the World Conservation and Exhibitions Centre has started. This important new building will house state of-the-art laboratories and studios for the conservation, preservation and research of the collection; a new special exhibitions suite; world-class stores, and facilities to support the Museum’s extensive national and international loans program.