Visitors explore the FOLK exhibition at the Norwegian Museum of Science and Technoloty (Image copyright to Åsa Marie Mikkelsen)
The BSHS Exhibiting Excellence Prize, was established in 2012 and recognises excellence in public exhibitions that address topics in the history of science, history of technology or history of medicine. There are two categories, one for large exhibitions and one for small exhibitions.
The BSHS welcome entries from institutions in any country and exhibits may be permanent or temporary. Eligible exhibits must use artefacts or places of some kind and this may include buildings or locations, pictures, instruments, objects and books.
Supporting materials can either be up to 12 photographs of the exhibition or up to a 10-minute video. Whenever possible, the judges will visit the exhibition or nominate a member of the Society to do so. Any further queries should be addressed to outreach@bshs.org.uk.
We are delighted to announce that the call for our next round is open. You can find more about it here.
If you have created a digital exhibition please apply to the Ayrton prize’ to the webpage.
Previous winners of the prize include:
- 2022: Jodrell Bank for ‘First Light’ and The Whipple Museum of the History of Science for ‘Craftswomen’.
- 2018: Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology for ‘FOLK: From Racial Types to DNA’ and Royal Holloway, University of London for ‘200 Years of Becoming Digital’.
- Commendations were offered to ‘Being Brunel‘ (SS Great Britain, Bristol) and ‘This Vexed Question’: 500 Years of Women and Medicine (Royal College of Physicians, London).
- 2016: Adler Planetarium, Chicago for What is a Planet?
- 2014: National Maritime Museum, London for Ships, Clocks and Stars: the Quest for Longitude (see image above) and the Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments at Harvard University for Body of Knowledge: A History of Anatomy (in 3 Parts).
- 2012: Science Museum, London, for Codebreaker: Alan Turing’s Life and Legacy and Royal College of Physicians of London, for Curious Anatomys.