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Edward Enninful to present Turner Prize 2019 in Margate

The prize will be handed out at Turner Contemporary in Kent.
The prize will be handed out at Turner Contemporary in Kent. The prize will be handed out at Turner Contemporary in Kent.

Edward Enninful will present the Turner Prize when it is awarded next month, it has been announced.

The editor of British Vogue will hand over the £25,000 first prize to one of four shortlisted artists – Lawrence Abu Hamdan, Helen Cammock, Oscar Murillo or Tai Shani.

Their work is on show at Turner Contemporary in Margate until January 12 2020 and the prize will be handed out at the gallery.

The exhibition has attracted more than 60,000 visitors since opening to the public on September 28 2019 and entry is free.

The Turner Prize, named after artist JMW Turner, is one of the most prestigious honours for the visual arts in the world and aims to promote public interest in contemporary British art.

It is awarded to a British artist for an outstanding exhibition or other presentation of their work in past 12 months.

The prize hit headlines earlier this year over the announcement it would be sponsored by bus operator Stagecoach South East.

It ended its sponsorship “by mutual agreement” just a day after it was made public, following controversy involving the transport company’s chairman.

Sir Brian Souter unsuccessfully campaigned to keep Section 28, the law which banned teachers and pupils from discussing homosexuality in schools.

He bankrolled the high-profile Keep The Clause campaign against the Scottish Executive’s plans to scrap Section 28.

Last year’s Turner Prize was won by artist Charlotte Prodger with her film, shot on an iPhone, about “queer identity” and her experience of coming out as gay in rural Scotland.

Charlotte Prodger
Charlotte Prodger 2018 Turner Prize winner Charlotte Prodger (Victoria Jones/PA)

The Turner Prize award totals £40,000, with £25,000 going to the winner and £5,000 each for the other shortlisted artists.

Turner Contemporary stands on the site of Turner’s lodging house and the building will feature on the new £20 note, alongside a depiction of the artist.

The Turner Prize 2019 jury is chaired by Alex Farquharson, director of Tate Britain and also includes Alessio Antoniolli, director of Gasworks & Triangle Network, Elvira Dyangani Ose, director of The Showroom Gallery, Victoria Pomery, director at Turner Contemporary, Margate, and writer Charlie Porter.

Turner Prize 2019 is curated by Rowan Geddis and Fiona Parry

Next year the prize will return to Tate Britain.