The Pier Arts Centre is in the running for the UK’s top award for museums and galleries.

Based in Orkney, the Pier is on the long-list of 10 galleries and museums from across the country that will battle it out for the prestigious Art Fund Prize 2008.

The £100,000 award, formerly known as the Gulbenkian Prize, will go to the museum or gallery whose project demonstrates the most originality, imagination and excellence.

The Pier’s project is based around the £4.5 million redevelopment of the harbour-side arts centre in Stromness.

Key works from the Pier’s internationally important collection of 20th century art went on tour to prominent galleries such as Tate St Ives and the National Gallery of Scotland during the two years the centre was closed for construction work.

During that time they were seen by more than 300,000 people.

This is reflected in the Pier’s entry for the Art Fund Prize 2008, as is the successful exhibition, A North Light - Cynosure, that marked the centre’s re-opening last July.

Pier Arts Centre director Neil Firth said: “There is no more prestigious award for a museum or gallery in the UK and to have reached the long-list is a wonderful achievement.

“We’ve had 28,000 visitors in the first six months after we re-opened last summer, a quite staggering number when you consider Stromness has a population of around 2,000.

“Now we are hoping our many friends and supporters will go online to demonstrate their support for our entry for the Art Fund Prize.”

By visiting www.artfundprize.org.uk anyone supporting the Pier can add a comment about the centre’s bid for the award.

“Although a panel of judges make the final decision, they do make note of the number of comments made – and what’s said by the public on behalf of the 10 museums and galleries on the long-list,” Mr Firth said.

“We feel that the Pier plays an important role in the islands’ cultural well being. Making the long-list is itself a confirmation of the extraordinary effort that has been put into the project by our architects, builders, our board and our many other supporters.”

The historic charm of the original Pier Arts Centre buildings was carefully maintained during the redevelopment.

An elegant new building has more than doubled the gallery space, as well as providing improved visitor facilities, an income-generating shop.

It recently received the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland Andrew Doolan award for the best new building north of the border.

The original art collection, regarded as one of the finest in the UK, has expanded over the years and now includes 21st century works. These recent additions reflect the themes of light and colour in the paintings and sculpture gifted to the people of Orkney by the author, peace activist and philanthropist Margaret Gardiner almost 30 year ago.

The outstanding quality of the entire collection was recently underlined by the Scottish Executive as a Recognised Collection of National Significance to Scotland.

Following visits by the judges, a short-list of four museums and galleries will be revealed in early April. The winner will then be announced on Thursday May 22 at the Royal Institute of British Architects in London during Museum and Galleries Month 2008.

Broadcaster Sue MacGregor, who chairs the judging panel, said: “We’re going to have an exciting and absorbing time visiting all ten museums and galleries.

“Some of them are relatively small - Orkney's Pier Arts Centre or Woking’s ultra modern Lightbox museum, for instance. Others are huge and all-embracing, like the Wellcome Collection of the History of Medicine in London.”