John Moores painting prize

This is the 50th John Moores Painting Competition; over 3,000 submissions this year, with a £25,000 prize. It's part of the Liverpool Biennial - the UK's largest art event. The numbers are big, but is the work any good? This year it's a droll, cool show. The selectors - the Chapman brothers, Sacha Craddock, Graham Crowley and Paul Morrison - are highly knowledgeable (unlike some judges of previous years) and confident enough to have fun. Too much fun for many critics, who regret the absence of what they would regard as more ambitious work. But prize-winner Peter McDonald and the others should make everyone else very happy indeed.

Neal Brown