The Natural History Museum is nominated for its Darwin Centre

London's Natural History Museum and The Discovery Point in Dundee are included on the first shortlist, which singles out inspiring exhibitions.

Also nominated for innovation were the Galleries of Justice in Nottingham and Rotherham's Clifton Park Museum.

The museums were drawn up from more than 100 entries vying for the winning cheque.

The winner will be chosen by a panel of judges including former University Challenge presenter Bamber Gascoigne and actress Joanna Lumley, and will be revealed on 15 May.

The Gulbenkian Prize is funded by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, replacing schemes including Museum of the Year.

Entrants are required to have launched or re-developed an innovative project or programme in 2002.

"Imagination, innovation, extending the very concept of the museum: these were our yardsticks," said Bamber Gascoigne.

"Each museum on our shortlist of four achieves this in a very different way. The next stage will be even harder for the judges. We have four worthy winners to choose from."

Mock trials

The Natural History Museum in London was recognised for its Darwin Centre Phase One, which was opened in September.

It provides a forum for scientists and visitors to meet or chat via the internet and offers "behind the scenes" tour of 22 million zoological specimens.

The Clifton Park Museum in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, is a project which trains communities to produce local exhibitions and oral history archives.

Scotland's Discovery Point was nominated for its RRS Discovery Renewal Programme, which focuses on the voyages of the research ship, which was built in Dundee to take Captain Robert Falcon Scott to Antarctica.

And the Galleries of Justice in Nottingham was picked for its National Centre for Citizenship and the Law, which has an educational area where mock youth and civil court trials are held.