Mercury Prize

Format and eligibility

Any album released by a British or Irish artist, or by a band where over 50% of the members are British or Irish, may be submitted for consideration by their record label. There is a fee for submission. Twelve submitted albums are shortlisted for the prize, chosen based solely on their musical merit and irrespective of how popular or successful an album or act that has been submitted may have been in the previous calendar year. The shortlist is chosen by an independent panel of musicians, music presenters, music producers, music journalists, festival organisers, and other figures in the music industry in the UK and Ireland.

The prize is open to all types of music, including pop, rock, folk, urban, grime, dance, jazz, blues, electronica and classical. Presentation of the awards usually takes place at an Awards Show in October, after the shortlist is announced at the Album of the Year Launch in September. It is often observed that bands whose albums are shortlisted, or win the prize, experience a large increase in album sales, particularly for lesser known acts. Each shortlisted artist receives a specially commissioned 'Albums of the Year' trophy at the Awards Show. Unlike some other music awards, the overall winner of the Mercury Prize also receives a cheque for £25,000. The winner also receives an additional winner's trophy.

History

The prize was originally sponsored by Mercury Communications, a brand owned by Cable & Wireless, from which the prize gets its name. It was later sponsored by Technics (1998 to 2001), Panasonic (2002 and 2003), Nationwide Building Society (2004 to 2008) and Barclaycard (2009–14). The 2015 prize was sponsored by the BBC, while in 2016 it was announced that a three-year deal had been struck with Hyundai to sponsor the event. It was sponsored by Free Now, as part of a multi-year deal that began in 2022. In 2024, the award lost their deal with Freenow, prompting the cancellation of the ceremony and live performances for that year. In 2025 it was announced that the ceremony would take place in Newcastle, the first time it would be outside London.

To date, PJ Harvey is the only artist to have won the award on more than one occasion (in 2001 and 2011). She was also the first female solo artist to receive the award. Alex Turner has received six nominations, five as a member of Arctic Monkeys and one with The Last Shadow Puppets, winning once. Thom Yorke has six nominations, five with Radiohead and one for The Eraser, but has never won.

The awards ceremony was postponed for the first, and so far only, time in 2022 following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

Reputation

The Mercury Prize can have a considerable effect on sales for those artists who are shortlisted. Elbow saw a 700% sales increase of their album The Seldom Seen Kid after winning the Prize in 2008. In their winner's speech, Elbow's frontman Guy Garvey said that winning the Mercury Prize was "quite literally the best thing that has ever happened to us". Similarly, sales of The xx's winning album rose by 450% the day after they won the 2010 Mercury Prize and 2013 winner James Blake saw a 2,500% sales increase on Amazon after he was announced as the winner of the 2013 Mercury Prize. 2011 winner PJ Harvey's album Let England Shake jumped from number 181 to 24 in the UK official charts the week after the 2011 Awards Show.

Despite being regarded by many as highly prestigious, it has been suggested that having an album nominated for or winning the Mercury Prize could be a curse on a career in music.

In 2001, the band Gorillaz requested that their eponymous debut album be withdrawn from the shortlist, with cartoon bassist Murdoc Niccals saying that winning the award would be "like carrying a dead albatross round your neck for eternity".

All genres of music are eligible for entry, and it is stated that all are treated equally, with only the music on the album being taken into account. Simon Frith, chair of the Mercury Prize judging panel, has said that albums are chosen because they are the "strongest" each year, rather than according to genre. However, the presence of classical, folk and jazz recordings has been cited by some as anomalous, arguing that comparisons with the other nominees can be invidious. Classical acts to have an album nominated have included John Tavener, Peter Maxwell Davies, Gavin Bryars and Nicholas Maw. None has ever won, and there has not been a shortlisted classical album since 2002.

The Mercury Prize also has a reputation for being awarded to outside chances rather than the favourites. The 1994 award winner was Elegant Slumming by the pop act M People, which some felt was a controversial decision considering the shortlist included popular albums from Britpop figureheads Paul Weller, Blur and Pulp, and electronica band The Prodigy.

Other music journalists critical of the awards stated that the 2005 award should not have been given to Antony and the Johnsons for their album I Am a Bird Now as, although they are British-born and therefore eligible for the Prize, the band was based in the United States. In 2006, Isobel Campbell's collaboration with Mark Lanegan, Ballad of the Broken Seas, was included in the shortlist, despite Lanegan being American, as the album was eligible due to Campbell's British citizenship, while Guillemots, whose album was also shortlisted in 2006, contained band members from Brazil and Canada, although the majority were from the United Kingdom.

In 2020, pop musician Rina Sawayama decried the Mercury Prize rules, which stated that only British and Irish citizens would be eligible for the Prize. Sawayama holds a Japanese passport, a country that prohibits dual citizenship, and was not eligible for her 2020 album SAWAYAMA, despite having living in the United Kingdom for 25 years. This prompted a change in the eligibility criteria for both the Mercury Prize and the BRIT Awards in 2021, and under the new rules, artists who “have been permanently resident in the UK or Ireland for more than five years” qualify for the Mercury Prize.

Current eligibility criteria state that all albums must be available to buy as a digital release in the UK. In September 2013, My Bloody Valentine vocalist and guitarist Kevin Shields expressed concerns about the award in an interview with The Guardian, accusing the Mercury Prize's organisers of "banning" the band's self-released album, m b v, from the shortlist nominations and addressing the nomination criteria, which he claimed branded the album "virtually illegal".

It has been noted that heavy metal has been overlooked by the prize. A 2013 article by Vice on the Mercury Prize said "Metal certainly never gets a look-in, not even on the official entry information form: 'The Prize is open to all types of music, including pop, rock, folk, hip-hop, R'n'B, dance, soul, jazz, blues, electronica, classical…'" The only metal record that has ever been nominated for the Mercury Prize is Troublegum by Therapy? in 1994. In 2011, Mercury chair of judges Frith said "[Metal] is a niche that a lot of people don't listen to." In 2011, The Guardian music critic Alexis Petridis agreed that the Mercury Prize underrepresented heavy metal, but argued that this actually benefitted the genre because "At least part of metal's appeal is its outsider status."

The 2024 Prize was the first time in its history that the show did not have a live audience, due to the award's failure to attract a sponsor.

When English Teacher won the award in 2024, they became the first winner from outside of London since Young Fathers in 2014.

Winners and shortlisted nominees

Artists with multiple wins

;2 wins

• PJ Harvey (2 wins 2001/2011, nominated 1993/1995/2001/2011)

Artists with multiple nominations

Totals listed are for bands or artists nominated more than once under the same name. It does not include appearances on compilations (e.g. Artists for War Child) or individuals nominated separately as a soloist and group member (e.g. Robbie Williams for his Life thru a Lens and Take That's Everything Changes, or Beth Gibbons for her Lives Outgrown and Portishead's Dummy). ;5 nominations

• Radiohead (no wins, nominated 1997/2001/2003/2008/2016)
• Arctic Monkeys (1 win 2006, nominated 2006/2007/2013/2018/2023)

;4 nominations

• Laura Marling (no wins, nominated 2008/2010/2013/2020)
• PJ Harvey (2 wins 2001/2011, nominated 1993/1995/2001/2011)
• Pulp (1 win 1996, nominated 1994/1996/1998/2025)
• Wolf Alice (1 win 2018, nominated 2015/2018/2021/2025)

;3 nominations

• Anna Calvi (no wins, nominated 2011/2014/2019)
• Bat for Lashes (no wins, nominated 2007/2009/2016)
• Coldplay (no wins, nominated 2000/2003/2005)
• David Bowie (no wins, nominated 2002/2013/2016)
• Dizzee Rascal (1 win 2003, nominated 2003/2007/2010)
• Elbow (1 win 2008, nominated 2001/2008/2011)
• Florence and the Machine (no wins, nominated 2009/2015/2018)
• Foals (no wins, nominated 2010/2013/2019)
• Laura Mvula (no wins, nominated 2013/2016/2021)
• Michael Kiwanuka (1 win 2020, nominated 2012/2016/2020)

;2 nominations

• The 1975 (no wins, nominated 2016/2019)
• Adele (no wins, nominated 2008/2011)
• alt-J (1 win 2012, nominated 2012/2017)
• Amy Winehouse (no wins, nominated 2004/2007)
• Basement Jaxx (no wins, nominated 2001/2004)
• Berwyn (no wins, nominated 2021/2024)
• Beth Orton (no wins, nominated 1997/1999)
• Blur (no wins, nominated 1994/1999)
• Charli XCX (no wins, nominated 2020/2024)
• The Chemical Brothers (no wins, nominated 1997/1999)
• CMAT (no wins, nominated 2024/2025)
• Corinne Bailey Rae (no wins, nominated 2010/2024)
• Doves (no wins, nominated 2000/2002)
• Eliza Carthy (no wins, nominated 1998/2003)
• Everything Everything (no wins, nominated 2011/2018)
• FKA Twigs (no wins, nominated 2014/2025)
• Fontaines D.C. (no wins, nominated 2019/2025)
• Ghetts (no wins, nominated 2021/2024)
• Ghostpoet (no wins, nominated 2011/2015)
• Guy Barker (no wins, nominated 1995/2002)
• J Hus (no wins, nominated 2017/2023)
• James Blake (1 win 2013, nominated 2011/2013)
• Jessie Ware (no wins, nominated 2012/2023)
• John Tavener (no wins, nominated 1992/1997)
• Jon Hopkins (no wins, nominated 2011/2013)
• Kae Tempest (no wins, nominated 2014/2017)
• Kano (no wins, nominated 2016/2020)
• Leftfield (no wins, nominated 1995/2000)
• Little Simz (1 win 2022, nominated 2019/2022)
• Loyle Carner (no wins, nominated 2017/2023)
• Manic Street Preachers (no wins, nominated 1996/1999)
• Oasis (no wins, nominated 1995/1996)
• Paul Weller (no wins, nominated 1994/2010)
• Polar Bear (no wins, nominated 2005/2014)
• Primal Scream (1 win 1992, nominated 1992/1997)
• The Prodigy (no wins, nominated 1994/1997)
• Pulp (1 win 1996/, nominated 1994/2025)
• Richard Hawley (no wins, nominated 2006/2012)
• Sam Fender (1 win 2025, nominated 2022/2025)
• Savages (no wins, nominated 2013/2016)
• Stormzy (no wins, nominated 2017/2020)
• The Streets (no wins, nominated 2002/2004)
• Suede (1 win 1993, nominated 1993/1997)
• Underworld (no wins, nominated 1996/1999)
• Villagers (no wins, nominated 2010/2013)
• Young Fathers (1 win 2014, nominated 2014/2023)
• The xx (1 win 2010, nominated 2010/2017)

References

General

References

1. "About The Prize". Mercury Prize.
2. "Mercury Prize 2008". BBC Music.
3. Beech, Mark. (9 September 2008). "U.K. Band Elbow Wins Mercury Prize as Judges Surprise Again". Bloomberg L.P..
4. Innes, John. (15 September 2004). "Band's debut album soars back into charts after Mercury success". The Scotsman.
5. Dann, Trevor. (9 September 2003). "'By the time the list is agreed you wonder whether you like music at all'". The Guardian.
6. (27 July 1999). "Manics lead Mercury shortlist". BBC News.
7. (2020-07-29). "Pop star Rina Sawayama 'not British enough' to enter UK music awards".
8. Sherwin, Adam. (16 October 2015). "Mercury Prize 2015: Florence + The Machine tipped for success as Blur miss out on a global shortlist". The Independent.
9. "Hyundai Partners with Mercury Music Prize". Hyundai.
10. "big group brokers the headline sponsorship of The Mercury Prize with FREENOW".
11. (25 July 2024). "Mercury Prize nominations 2024: Charli XCX, Beth Gibbons and the Last Dinner Party on shortlist". BBC.
12. (2021-02-24). "Brit Awards change rules thanks to pop star Rina Sawayama".
13. "2025 Entry Terms & Conditions".
14. Savage, Mark. (8 September 2022). "Last Night of the Proms and Mercury Prize called off after the Queen's death". BBC News.
15. Ellis-Petersen, Hannah. (30 October 2014). "Young Fathers likely to be touched by unreliable magic of Mercury prize". The Guardian.
16. (9 September 2008). "Elbow elated at Mercury Prize win". BBC News.
17. (9 September 2008). "Elbow: 'Mercury win is best thing that's ever happened to us'". NME.
18. Ellis-Petersen, Hannah. (30 October 2014). "Young Fathers likely to be touched by unreliable magic of Mercury prize". The Guardian.
19. Rainey, Naomi. (9 September 2010). "The xx 'terrified' after Mercury win". Digital Spy.
20. Ellis-Petersen, Hannah. (30 October 2014). "Young Fathers likely to be touched by unreliable magic of Mercury prize". The Guardian.
21. Hart, Tina. (1 November 2013). "James Blake album sales increase 2500% on Amazon since Mercury Prize win". Music Week.
22. (11 September 2011). "Pixie Lott and Example – all about number one!". Official Charts.
23. Gill, Andy. (14 July 2006). "Curse of the Mercury". The Independent.
24. Williamson, Nigel. (13 July 2003). "Uneasy listening". The Guardian.
25. Youngs, Ian. (30 July 2002). "Entertainment | Mercury Prize's guessing game". [[British Broadcasting Corporation]].
26. (3 September 2001). "Gorillaz taken off Mercury list". [[British Broadcasting Corporation]].
27. Chrisafis, Angelique. (23 July 2003). "Mercury prize puts black artists to the fore". The Guardian.
28. Petridis, Alexis. (20 September 2002). "Back to basics". The Guardian.
29. Adams, Stephen. (5 September 2007). "Amy Winehouse performs at Mercury prize". Daily Telegraph.
30. (17 September 2002). "Ms Dynamite wins Mercury prize". BBC News.
31. Waters, Darren. (2 September 2005). "Judging music the Mercury way". BBC News.
32. Millar, Anna. (13 August 2006). "Why Mercury makes Isobel's blood boil at pop industry". The Scotsman.
33. Youngs, Ian. (4 December 2003). "Does the Mercury Prize get it right?". BBC News.
34. Barlow, Karen. (26 September 2005). "Inaugural Australian music prize announced". Australian Broadcasting Company.
35. (7 September 2005). "Antony and Johnsons win Mercury". BBC News.
36. Sutherland, Mark. "Who can beat the Arctic Monkeys to win the Mercury Prize?". BBC 6 Music.
37. (13 September 2013). "My Bloody Valentine frontman slams Mercury prize list | Music". [[The Guardian]].
38. (October 30, 2013). "Why Is Everyone at Mercury So Cagey About the Mercury Prize?". VICE.
39. Murray, Robin. (18 November 2013). "Five Points For Mercury Prize Reform". Clash Magazine.
40. Petridis. (22 July 2011). "Alexis Petridis on heavy metal and the Mercury prize". The Guardian.
41. "The downfall of British music: the Mercury Prize in crisis".
42. (2024-09-06). "English Teacher say it shouldn't be novelty that Northern band win Mercury Prize".
43. Simpson, Dave. (2024-09-06). "English Teacher on winning the Mercury: 'We are proof that arts funding works'". The Guardian.
44. Gill, Andy. (10 September 1992). "The 1992 Mercury Music Prize: Andy Gill looks at the winner of the inaugural Mercury Music Prize". The Independent.
45. "The London Suede". MTV.
46. Hughes, Jack. (18 September 1994). "Cries & Whispers". The Independent.
47. (18 July 2007). "Mercury winners: where are they now?". Channel 4.
48. MacDonald, Marianne. (11 September 1996). "Pulp create a different class of award". The Independent.
49. (8 September 1999). "Talvin Singh: Closing the divide". BBC News.
50. (11 September 2001). "PJ Harvey wins Mercury prize". BBC News.
51. Youngs, Ian. (30 July 2002). "Mercury Prize's guessing game". BBC News.
52. (12 September 2001). "PJ Harvey wins Mercury prize – after witnessing Pentagon attack". The Guardian.
53. Chrisafis, Angelique. (18 September 2002). "Ms Dynamite's victory blasts Mercury norms". The Guardian.
54. Imagee, Matthew. (7 September 2004). "Still going strong after Dizzee rise to Mercury's peak". The Scotsman.
55. Barkham, Patrick. (8 September 2004). "Mercury rises for art pop of Franz Ferdinand". The Guardian.
56. (5 September 2006). "Arctic Monkeys win 2006 Mercury Music Prize". NME.
57. Paphides, Pete. (10 September 2008). "Pete Paphides salutes Elbow's Mercury Prize victory". The Times.
58. Swash, Rosie. (21 July 2009). "Mercury Prize 2009 Nominations Announced". The Guardian.
59. (20 July 2010). "Mercury Prize 2010 Nominations Announced". NME.
60. Topping, Alexandra. (19 July 2011). "Adele leads Mercury prize 2011 shortlist". The Guardian.
61. Butterly, Amelia. (13 September 2012). "Plan B hopes for his 'Dizzee Rascal' moment at Mercurys". BBC News.
62. Topping, Alexandra. (2 November 2012). "Mercury prize celebrates 20 years with award for Alt-J's debut album". [[The Guardian]].
63. Clark, Nick. (11 September 2013). "Mercury Prize 2013: List of nominees in full". [[The Independent]].
64. (31 October 2013). "Mercury Prize: James Blake wins with Overgrown". BBC News.
65. (30 October 2014). "Young Fathers Win the Mercury Prize". Pitchfork Media.
66. "Mercury Prize 2015 shortlist". BBC.
67. (4 August 2016). "Mercury Prize 2016: David Bowie gets posthumous nomination". BBC News.
68. Mark Brown. (14 September 2017). "Mercury prize 2017 is won by Sampha's Process". The Guardian.
69. Savage, Mark. (26 July 2018). "Arctics and Jorja Smith on Mercury list". BBC News.
70. (25 July 2019). "2019 Mercury Prize Nominations Announced: Predictions, Snubs and More". Paste Magazine.
71. Savage, Mark. (23 July 2020). "Mercury Prize 2020: Female artists lead nominations for the first time". [[BBC News]].
72. (24 September 2020). "Michael Kiwanuka wins the 2020 Mercury Prize". BBC News.
73. Beaumont-Thomas, Ben. (22 July 2021). "Mercury prize 2021: first-time nominees dominate shortlist". The Guardian.
74. Beaumont-Thomas, Ben. (9 September 2021). "Mercury Prize 2021: Arlo Parks wins for ''Collapsed in Sunbeams''". The Guardian.
75. Singh, Surej. (26 July 2022). "Mercury Prize 2022 shortlist revealed".
76. (18 October 2022). "Mercury Prize: Rapper Little Simz wins album of the year award". BBC News.
77. (27 July 2023). "2023 Mercury Prize with FREENOW 'Albums of the Year' revealed…".
78. Griffiths, George. (September 7, 2023). "Mercury Prize 2023: Ezra Collective announced as winner of 2023 Mercury Prize". [[Official Charts Company]].
79. (25 July 2024). "2024 Mercury Prize 'Albums of the Year' revealed".
80. Harrison, Dan. (September 5, 2024). "English Teacher has been awarded the 2024 Mercury Prize for their debut album ''This Could Be Texas''". [[Dork (magazine).
81. Beaumont-Thomas, Ben. (October 16, 2025). "Sam Fender wins 2025 Mercury prize for his album ''People Watching''". [[The Guardian]].
82. Jamieson, Sarah. (10 September 2025). "Fontaines DC, CMAT, Sam Fender, Wolf Alice and more shortlisted for the 2025 Mercury Prize".