Some artefacts at The Collection date back to the Iron Age

East Midlands Tourism has given the award to The Collection for the quality of its displays in the large visitor attraction category.

The museum will now be considered for a national Enjoy England Excellence Award next year.

The �12.5m museum, dedicated to Lincolnshire's history, opened in October 2005 and contains some two million archaeological objects.

East Midlands Tourism said: "It is a museum that has resonance with both local people and a wider audience, and the changing programme means that it is a museum that you could visit again and again."

Councillor Eddy Poll, executive councillor for cultural services, said: "This is the third award the museum has gained since it opened last year, and we only just missed out on the Gulbenkian Prize."