Set up in 1984, The Turner Prize remains one of the best-known visual arts prizes. The prize is awarded to an artist for an outstanding exhibition or other presentation of their work in the preceding year. By championing the early career of British artists, the Turner Prize has played a large part in the growing public interest in contemporary art in the UK. The four shortlisted artists for the Turner Prize 2016 are: Michael Dean, Anthea Hamilton, Helen Marten and Josephine Pryde. Although varied as ever, the artists share some common interests: much of their work is sculptural, albeit incorporating a range of mediums; much of the work references areas of visual culture such as advertising, design, fashion and the built environment; their works often reflect and assume the growing ubiquity of the internet, and through their own practices they explore how written and visual language convey meaning. Showcasing highlights from across the artists' careers and including exclusive interviews as well as detailed career biographies, this small but jam-packed publication provides a succint and illuminating accompaniment to the prize. Michael Dean is nominated for his exhibitions Sic Glyphs at South London Gallery and Qualities of Violence at de Appel arts centre, Amsterdam. Anthea Hamilton is nominated for her solo exhibition Anthea Hamilton: Lichen! Libido! Chastity! at SculptureCenter, New York. Helen Marten is nominated for projects including her presentation at the 56th Venice Biennale and the solo exhibition Eucalyptus, Let Us In at Greene Naftali, New York. Josephine Pryde is nominated for her solo exhibition lapses in Thinking By the person i Am at CCA Wattis for Contemporary Arts, San Francisco.

Linsey Young is Curator of Contemporary British Art at Tate. Laura Smith is Exhibitions and Displays Curator at Tate.