The National Gallery is nominated for its Titian exhibition

The Prescot Museum in Merseyside and National Gallery in London are among the 13 venues shortlisted for the �100,000 Gulbenkian Prize for Museum Of The Year.

Chair of judges Loyd Grossman said the shortlist "reflects the diversity and creativity of museums across the UK."

Four finalists will be named in March and the winner will be revealed in May.

The Prescot Museum is nominated for its exhibition Creating History - the Story of a Lifetime - an exploration of local history as seen through the eyes of former factory workers and schoolchildren.

In contrast, the National Gallery's Titian display was among the most high profile European exhibitions of the year.

Shortlisted

Othe shortlisted entries range from an exhibition of 20th Century sculpture at the Henry Moore Institute in Leeds, to a travelling exhibition of Romany history organised by the Pembrokeshire Museum Service.

Broadcaster Joan Bakewell is among the competition judges

Glasgow's Gallery Of Modern Art is nominated for an exhibition addressing the plight of asylum seekers, while Birmingham's museum of science and discovery - Thinktank - also gets a mention for its Futures Gallery exhibition.

Norton Priory Museum in Runcorn, Tyne & Wear Museums in Wallsend, Clifton Park Museum in Rotherham, Royal Armouries in Leeds, the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art and Museum of Antiquities in Newcastle also feature.

Judges for the exhibition, which is being staged for the second consecutive year, will include broadcaster and writer Joan Bakewell, plus BBC arts correspondent Rosie Millard.

The Gulbenkian Prize is the largest single arts prize in the UK. It is given annually to one museum or gallery, large or small, anywhere in the UK.