The Turnips: Party Gate announced as Prize's 25th anniversary winner

It's official: Party Gate has been announced the winner of this year's Turnip Prize!

The artist, 'Mr Keep Calm' has been added to the wall of fame in this spoof competition's 25th year, celebrated today - on the same day as the Turner Prize.

It's been a big year for entries

It's been a tough year for the judges - who had to whittle it down to one from the 193 'artists' who put their low-effort art forward for the 2023 competition.

Weeks of tough deliberations ensued the judges, after this year's competition closed for entries, who then had to whittle it down to just four for the Grand Final.

Last month, they announced the finalists for the 2023 edition, with tonight's ceremony for the winner happening on the same night as the Turner Prize (December 5).

The World Famous award is a spoof of what the organisers call the 'lesser-known' Turner Prize, and has been running for 24 years - with this year marking a quarter of a century for the competition.

The aim? It's all about creating something that the judges perceive to be rubbish art using the least amount of effort possible.

The judges

Destined with judging this year's entries were these three, all with a link to the iconic Somerset competition. They were:

On the panel, last year's winner, Lie Instate, best known for sticking a couple of woolly jumpers on a cue stick, with his work aptly named 'Cue Jumpers'. He beat 68 other entries last year.

All the way back from 2014, that year's winner, Miss Drunken Shepherd, best known for producing her piece called 'Ewe Kip', by putting a teddy sheep inside a cardboard box.

And with accolades some people on Facebook think means she's 'over qualified' for the job, Amanda Carver is also on the panel, coming in with a Grade C in GCSE Textiles. According to X, she loves cricket, running and allotments.

'We've ordered a second skip!'

This year, 193 entries were received - enough for the organisiers to say they'll be needing a second skip to get rid of them all after!

This year’s finalists were:

“A Eye” by G.P.T. Chat Esq: an artificial eyeball

“Coronation Chicken” by ChicKing the Third of Somerset: a KFC carton with a crown on top

“Inflation” by Ike Price: an inflated balloon and pump

“Party Gate” by Mr Keep Calm: a gate with a party hat on the top

The Prize all started back in the 1990s, when a group of friends were sat in a pub, and came up with the idea as a way to poke fun at modern art after Tracey Emin's unmade bed was shortlisted for the Turner Prize.

They even hold the annual 'Turnips' - held, naturally, on the same night in December as the Turner Prize is awarded.

One winner was 'a Shakespeare play placed on top of a dictionary' - called 'Play on Words', whilst another was a piece of red insulation tape, called 'Red Tape'.

Hundreds of people enter the contest every year - and we recently spoke to the organiser of the whole thing, Trevor Prideaux:

Each year, the spoof competition attracts entries from around the world and the winner is often covered in international media.

The 2020 Turnip Prize award was announced online as a result of the lockdown restrictions.

Back then, Mr Prideaux joked: "This year we have received a record number of entries, crossing the 100 mark for the second time in succession – 120 in total! We have ordered a second skip!"

The presentation for this year’s Turnip Prize will take place at 6.00pm on Tuesday 5th December in The New Inn, Combe Batch, Wedmore, Somerset, BS28 4DU.

All entrants are reminded to remove their submissions by Friday 8th December.

For more about the Turnip Prize click here.

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