Graham Wakefield, Director of exhibition constructors Beck Interiors Ltd, collects the award

1001 Inventions was crowned Best Touring Exhibition of the year at the annual Museums and Heritage Excellence Awards on 11th May, beating off strong competition from the British Library’s fascinating Evolving English exhibition, as well as entries from Imperial War Museum North and National Museums Liverpool.

I developed the content and wrote the text for the exhibition, which is now on its US tour and about to open in Los Angeles.

The judges said: “This outstanding entry was engaging, well executed and presented a heady mixture of the wonder and magic of science.  The judges felt that its impressive international journey would clearly benefit, educate and excite many people around the world.”

Professor Salim Al-Hassani, Chairman of 1001 Inventions, commented: “Our whole team is humbled by this recognition… Hundreds of people were involved in bringing this project to fruition and they all deserve our thanks. Our sponsors ALJ Community Initiatives, the academic network that put together the content, the writers who made the exhibition accessible to a broad audience, the exhibition designers and Beck Interiors who built the modules to an extraordinarily high standard all played their part in reaching this milestone.”

What is the secret behind the way we write numbers? When did scientists first discover how we see? Who drew the oldest surviving map showing America? 1001 Inventions: discover the Muslim heritage in our world tackles fascinating questions, using imagery, interactivity and models to bring to life a period of history little known to many.

The exhibition has just completed its run in New York, after its launch at the Science Museum and successful tour in Istanbul.

1001 Inventions exhibition