The Art Fund has announced that the British Museum has been awarded the 2011 Art Fund Prize - worth £100,000 - for its groundbreaking A History of the World initiative.

Working in partnership with the BBC, the attraction used its extensive collection to examine the history of the world and included a 100-part BBC Radio 4 Series. A History of the World in 100 Objects combined a narrative history using objects in the British Museum's collection, with the assistance of more than 550 other museums.

Michael Portillo, chair of the Art Fund Prize judging panel, said: "We were particularly impressed by the truly global scope of the British Museum's project. "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."

The British Museum was crowned winner after holding off competition from three other shortlisted sites, including The Polar Museum at the University of Cambridge. Alloway's new Robert Burns Birthplace Museum and the Roman Baths Museum, Bath, were also shortlisted for projects that showed "excellence, orginality and imagination".

Image: The British Museum – Eric Pouhier