Richard Wright has been named the winner of the 2009 Turner Prize, beating out finalists Enrico David, Lucy Skaer, and Roger Hiorns for the £25,000 ($41,000) award in a ceremony in London this evening.

Writing in favor of the artist, the jury noted that it “admired the profound originality and beauty of Wright's work.” For the exhibition of shortlisted artists at Tate Britain, Wright created a large gold-leaf fresco, a medium he has favored since moving away from traditional easel painting in the early 1990s. His selection marks a more traditional for the Turner Prize, which has often favored more experimental, conceptual work.

The Turner Prize, which has been bestowed each year by the Tate since 1984, is considered among the most prestigious awards in contemporary art. Its stated mission is to recognize “a British artist under 50 for an outstanding exhibition or other presentation of their work in the 12 months preceding.” Wright, 49, barely fit the age criterion.

Wright was selected by a jury of four: television presenter Mariella Frostrup; Guardian art critic Jonathan Jones; Andrea Schlieker, the director of the Folkestone Triennial; and Charles Esche, director of the Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven, Netherlands. He now joins a club of past winners that includes Martin Creed, Gilbert & George, and Damien Hirst.

The British arts group the Stuckists, who argue that the prize is elitist, staged their annual protest outside Tate Britain today, handing out 5,000 leaflets and 2,000 badges that declared, “The Turner Prize is dead.”