Last year’s result:

Oscar Jelley was the winner of the 2024 Observer / Burgess Prize for Arts Journalism.

Writers were challenged to produce an 800-word review of a recently released book, film, album, concert, exhibition, ballet, play, TV show, online stream, performance-art piece, or anything else that might be covered in the review pages of a national newspaper.

Our winner is Oscar Jelley for his review of Isabel Waidner’s Corey Fah Does Social Mobility. His successful piece will be published in The Observer newspaper on 9th June 2024.

The two runners-up are Alice Hughes for reviewing Anatomy Of A Fall and Anna McGee for writing about the depository of Florence Civic Museums. Their pieces will appear online alongside Oscar’s winning review.

The results were announced at a live ceremony in London on 22nd May 2024. You can see pictures of our delighted winner and shortlistees on our social media. Congratulations!

Below you will find the full run of winners, runners-up, shortlistees and longlistees.

The final result

Winner: Oscar Jelley on Isabel Waidner’s Corey Fah Does Social Mobility

Runner-up: Alice Hughes on Anatomy Of A Fall

Runner-up: Anna McGee on the depository of Florence Civic Museums

The shortlist

Alice Hughes on Anatomy Of A Fall
Anna Bogutskaya on Past Lives
Anna McGee on the depository of Florence Civic Museums
Jack Barron on Anna Mendelssohn: Speak, Poetess
Maisie Allen on Beth Steel: Till The Stars Come Down
Oscar Jelley on Isabel Waidner’s Corey Fah Does Social Mobility

The longlist

Alexander Frank Cohen on Frank Auerbach: The Charcoal Heads
Alice Hughes on Anatomy Of A Fall
Alice Kent on Brian Dillon Affinities
Anna Bogutskaya on Past Lives
Anna McGee on the depository of Florence Civic Museums
Cerise Louisa Andrews on The Boy and the Heron
Chris Allnutt on Chants of Sennaar
Daniel Goldstraw on The Zone of Interest
Eddy Gibb on Creature
Emma Jones on Trevor Yeung: Soft Ground
Harry Cochrane on Ned Denny & Patricia Smith
Ian Ellison on The Nonconformists
Iona Glen on Bring No Clothes
Jack Barron on Anna Mendelssohn: Speak, Poetess
Katie Tobin on Ben Lerner’s The Lights
Lucy Hicks Beach on Women Dressing Women
MZ Adnan on Raúl Cañibano: Human Landscapes
Maisie Allen on Beth Steel: Till The Stars Come Down
Oscar Jelley on Isabel Waidner’s Corey Fah Does Social Mobility
Patricia Anne Emison on NT Live: Vanya
Rachel Ashcroft on Blue Eye Samurai
Rhian Williams on The Girl Who Forgets How To Walk & Salthouse
Ross McIndoe on Asteroid City
Sophie Holloway on Daido Moriyama: A Retrospective
Susanna Morton on Anselm Kiefer – Finnegans Wake
Tajudeen Alabi on Succession
Teh Ming Li on Thriller 40, Malaysia
Tom Glover on Below Deck Sailing Yacht
Varvara Sycheva on Smoke Sauna Sisterhood

• Share | 
• Print