In 2007 the Awards Ceremony was held in the glorious surroundings of the Sir John Moore Foundation in Appleby Magna and was attended by volunteers from independent museums from across the city and both counties.

The awards were kindly sponsored by Renaissance East Midlands in 2007 and 2008.

This award rewards a museum that has produced an outstanding exhibition or display, either at the museum itself or in another venue. Exhibition in this category could also be virtual exhibitions available on the Internet. Past winners have included exhibitions on framework knitting, whitwick colliery, and what life was like life growing up in World War 2.

This category rewards an organisation that has held an outstanding event. This could include open days, galas, or special events with school children. Winners have included an open day at Ullesthorpe windmill, and Rutland Railway Museum, who participated in the 'Living Museum' event at St James' Park in London in 2005 to celebrate the anniversary of the end of World War 2.

A whole range of projects have been entered into this category in the past including the complete refurbishment of museums, building new education facilities, the restoration of railway vehicles, the creation of oral history recordings and projects concentrating on documentation of historic collections and the creation of educational materials

This awards is judged from the entries to all other categories. It is awarded to the museum that is judged to have made the most significant progress over the past year. Awarded for the first time in 2006, the prize was won by Ashby Museum following a complete refurbishment project which included renewing displays and the building of an education room and storage space.