News

# MI5: Official Secrets exhibition shortlisted for national award

An exhibition co-curated by The National Archives and MI5 has been shortlisted
in the category, Temporary or Touring Exhibition of the Year (Budget more than
£80,000) by the Museums + Heritage Awards.

Published 19 March 2026

![Image of the opening wall of the MI5 exhibition with the logo and image of a spy](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/media/images/National_Archives-M_6TOfz0G.2e16d0ba.fill-1800x720.format-jpeg.jpegquality-60.bgcolor-fff.jpg) 

About this image 

The National Archives

MI5: Official Secrets was a groundbreaking exhibition giving public access to
115 years of MI5 secrets. Visitors experienced once-classified documents, real
spy artefacts and verbatim testimony from current Intelligence Officers.

> For us, this was a unique opportunity to bring new audiences to our exhibition
> programme and to tell powerful stories. We took the MI5 registry, containing 115
> years of meticulously archived documents, and coupled it with objects from MI5’s
> museum to create a compelling experience.  
> The combination of unique content with imaginative curation was a hit with
> audiences, reaching over 55 000 visitors and delivering 94% satisfaction. We’re
> delighted it was a hit with the Museum + Heritage Awards judges too and are
> thrilled the exhibition is part of the shortlist. It’s testament to our
> partnership with MI5.

Saul Nassé, Chief Executive of The National Archives

> I’d like to thank The National Archives for their partnership in bringing this
> exhibition into being, giving the public the opportunity to delve into MI5’s
> story. MI5 life is about ordinary human beings together doing extraordinary
> things to keep our country safe. Some of their stories and their perspective
> comes through in this exhibition.

Sir Ken McCallum, Director General of MI5

The plain, manila covers of the files that make up the MI5 archive hide the
dramatic, fascinating stories they contain of what ordinary people do to keep
the country safe. The exhibition opened these files to the public in an
unprecedented way, creating an experience inspired by research into how the
original MI5 registry was constructed, giving a sense of being led down
corridors, through locked doors, and stepping back in time.

Immersive elements conjured up scenes from MI5’s history, such as the interior
of Anthony Blunt’s flat where he was interviewed multiple times during the Cold
War. Filmed interviews with current and former Directors General allowed us to
discuss more recent episodes of MI5’s history (where records have not yet been
transferred) with insight and authority. The exhibition — the first of its kind
between the two organisations — attracted almost 2.5 times more visitors than
any previous TNA exhibition with 11% of the visitors coming from overseas.

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