Britain's top award for contemporary visual art, the prestigious Turner Prize, has on-and-off-again stirred controversy for 31 years. This year the annual prize ventured even further with the question, "But is it art?"

Assemble, a 15-person architecture and design collective, won on Monday for their inspired renewal of derelict terraced houses in Toxteth in Liverpool.

While critics decried the nomination as architecture and not actual art, Assemble's Joseph Halligan told Reuters: "I think the idea that art is something that can only be created by someone that declares themselves an artist is maybe not the best thing."

"I believe that anyone can create art, and art should be for everyone," he said.

Juror Alistair Hudson apparently concurs, explaining to Channel 4 news what appealed for Assemble's win. “This is collective activity working within society, not in the hierarchical structure of the art world,” said Hudson.