A selection of nominees are in contention for the European Museum of the Year Award 2018, with the judging panel revealing its shortlist of 40 for the prestigious prize.

Run by the European Museum Forum (EMF), the award is open to any museum within the continent that has opened or completed redevelopments over the course of the last three years.

Three British museums are among 2018’s nominees, including London’s Design Museum and Science Museum, and the Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth.

Crossing the Irish Sea, Dublin’s EPIC Museum and the National Gallery of Ireland are also nominated.

In mainland Europe, France’s International Centre for Cave Art at the Lascaux Cave has made the list after a €66m (US$70.3m, £56.2m) development by Norwegian architects Snøhetta and scenographers Casson Mann.

After moving from its former home in Helsinki’s historic district to a new location in Senate Square in 2016, the recently reopened Helsinki City Museum in Finland makes the list. The 105-year-old museum now occupies five historical buildings surrounding three inner courtyards, opening up spaces never previously accessible to the public.

Entrants into European Museum of the Year will also be considered for the Council of Europe Museum Prize for excellence; the Kenneth Hudson Award and the Silletto Prize, which honours work with local communities and volunteers.

“The European Museum of the Year Award has had a significant influence on the lives of many museum professionals and has brought to centre stage museums with highly innovative approaches,” said the EMF.

“Since 1977, the European Museum Forum, as the longest running and most prestigious museum award scheme, has presented the European Museum of the Year Award and functioned as a continuous benchmark for best practices for the sector.”

The announcement of the winners and the formal ceremony will take place during the Annual Assembly of the European Museum Forum, from 9 to 12 May 2018 in Warsaw. The event takes place inside the Museum of the History of Polish Jews, which was awarded the European Museum of the Year Award in 2016.

To see the full list of contenders, click here.