UK Museum of the Year 2015

The six finalists for the UK Museum of the Year competition have been announced.

The BBC News Magazine has made a series of videos on the Museum of the Year competition, in partnership with the Art Fund.

Georgian country house Dunham Massey was given to the National Trust in the 1970s. Its current exhibition, Sanctuary from the Trenches, commemorates the centenary of World War One by recreating the house as it was in 1917-19. The house was used during this time as the Stamford Military Hospital, and professional actors have been used to bring the sights and sounds of the hospital to life.

Imperial War Museums (IWM) London recently reopened after a renovation project which included the creation of permanent World War One galleries which explore the conflict through the lives of those at the front and at home.

The MAC (Metropolitan Arts Centre) opened in 2012 in Belfast, and has established itself as Northern Ireland's leading contemporary arts venue. The MAC has only one permanent art work, and uses its gallery space for a series of exhibitions. Through the MAC's young curator programme, both local talent and established international artists now have a place to show their works in Belfast.

Oxford University Museum of Natural History was founded in 1860 as a centre for scientific study. Over 150 years later, it now aims to challenge the way people think about the natural world and houses more than seven million specimens. The museum reopened in 2014 after a 14-month restoration project.

Used since 1078 as a fortress, palace and prison, the Tower of London is now one of London's most popular tourist attractions. In 2014 something new attracted over five million visitors - a work of art commemorating the centenary of World War One consisting of 888,246 individual ceramic poppies. The exhibit became one defining images of the centenary events.

The Whitworth was founded in 1889 in the memory of industrialist Sir Joseph Whitworth, for "the perpetual gratification of the people of Manchester". In 2014 the gallery underwent a large scale remodelling, opening it up to the park in which it sits. While it was closed, it held a series of pop-up, experimental events to keep the spirit of the Whitworth open. Now it hopes to attract new audiences and for the first time employs a "cultural park keeper" to make the most of the outdoor spaces on its doorstep.

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