Britain's biggest and most prestigious contemporary art prize has been won by the thirty-year-old artist, Chris Ofili.

It's the first time since 1985 that the award, The Turner Prize, has gone to a painter.

Chris Ofili is best known for his use of elephant dung in every one of his works.

The BBC Arts Correspondent says along with the thirty-five thousand dollars in prize money, Ofili gains great cachet in the art world.

But, she adds, the Turner Prize is a hugely commercial event -- more, say some critics, about marketing hype than art.