WIRRAL artist Leo Fitzmaurice will tonight discover whether he has won the Northern Art Prize.

The Heswall-based sculptor and installation artist is up against three other nominees for the prestigious award, which has a cash prize of £16,500.

Known for his witty creations which use packaging, design and signage, Fitzmaurice takes apart everyday objects, such as cigarette packets and cereal boxes, and reworks them into something that encourages a new viewpoint.

Also shortlisted are Irish-born Liadin Cooke, who creates delicate watercolours and sculptures; Northumberland-based painter James Hugonin and Newcastle-based sculptor Richard Rigg.

This year’s judges are Caroline Douglas, head of the Arts Council Collection; broadcaster and White Cube director of exhibitions Tim Marlow; Turner Prize winner Simon Starling, Simon Wallis, director of The Hepworth Wakefield and Sarah Brown, curator of exhibitions at Leeds Art Gallery.

Brown says: “The generational span of this year’s shortlisted artists was very broad.

“The shortlisting process was an important reminder to us that artists produce some of their most interesting work at very different points in their careers and we were impressed to see that the North is a strong site of artistic production.”

The Northern Art Prize winner will be announced at Leeds Art Gallery tonight.

The remaining three artists on the shortlist will each receive £1,500.

FIND out whether Leo Fitzmaurice wins on the LDP Arts blog tonight at http://blogs.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/ldpartsblog