LONDON, ENGLAND.- Tate Britain presents Turner Prize 2004, through December 23, 2004. The Turner Prize is the UK’s most prestigious art award and is awarded annually to a British artist under the age of fifty. Visit the exhibition at Tate Britain to judge for yourself who should win this year’s illustrious prize, then watch the award ceremony live on Channel 4 at 20.00 on 6 December to see if you agree with the Jury’s decision.

Just what is the Turner Prize for? The early years of the Prize, from its beginnings in 1984 to its sudden (temporary) disappearance in 1990, saw intense debate about exactly how a prize for contemporary visual art should be organised.

One of the first issues was the naming of the Prize. Many people were at a loss to know what it had to do with the early nineteenth century artist JMW Turner, and there were conflicting views about whether or not he would have approved. The founders of the Prize, the Tate Gallery's Patrons of New Art, had in fact chosen Turner because he'd wanted to establish a prize for young artists and because, despite being controversial in his own day, he was now seen as one of the greatest British artists.