Turner Prize

The Turner Prize is a contemporary art award that was set up in 1984 to celebrate new developments in contemporary art.

The prize is awarded each year to: 'a British artist under fifty for an outstanding exhibition or other presentation of their work in the twelve months preceding'.  

Nominations are invited each year, and the prize is judged by an independent jury that changes annually. The four shortlisted artists present works in a show normally held at Tate Britain before the winner is announced in December. Artists are not judged on their show at Tate – the decision is based on the work they were nominated for.

Over the last two decades the Turner Prize has played a significant role in provoking debate about visual art and the growing public interest in contemporary British art in particular, and has become widely recognised as one of the most important and prestigious awards for the visual arts in Europe.

Find out about Turner Prize 2008.

In 2007 Tate Britain held a major retrospective of the Prize – presenting works by all the pasts winners of the Prize. Find out more about The Turner Prize: A Retrospective exhibition.

Find out more about the history of the Turner Prize, information on all of the shortlisted artists, the exhibitions from each year, and public and media responses to the Prize.