Mercury Prize facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Mercury Prize
The logo for the 2022 Mercury Prize
Date	Every September
Location	United Kingdom
Reward	£25,000 (2017)
First awarded	9 September 1992; 32 years ago (1992-09-09)
Currently held by	English Teacher – This Could Be Texas (2024)

The Mercury Prize is a yearly music award given for the best album from the United Kingdom or Ireland. It started in 1992 to celebrate great music, no matter the genre. The award was created to be an alternative to the popular Brit Awards.

How the Prize Works
The Story of the Prize
What People Think of the Prize
- The "Mercury Effect"
- Controversies and Debates
Winners and Nominees Through the Years
Artists with Multiple Nominations
See also

How the Prize Works

Any album by a British or Irish artist can be entered for the prize by their record label. A group of music experts, like journalists, producers, and festival organizers, then listens to all the entries. They choose a shortlist of twelve albums.

The judges pick the albums based only on how good the music is. It doesn't matter how famous the artist is or how many copies the album has sold. The list includes all kinds of music, from pop and rock to jazz and classical.

The winner is announced at a special awards show. Being nominated for the prize, or winning it, can help an artist sell a lot more albums. This is especially helpful for newer or less famous acts. Each of the twelve nominated artists gets a trophy. The overall winner gets an extra trophy and a cash prize, which was £25,000 in 2017.

The Story of the Prize

The prize was first sponsored by a company called Mercury Communications, which is where it got its name. Over the years, other companies like Panasonic, Barclaycard, and Hyundai have sponsored the award.

In 2022, the awards ceremony was postponed for the first time ever. This was done as a sign of respect after the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

In 2025, the ceremony was held in Newcastle. It was the first time the event took place outside of London.

So far, PJ Harvey is the only artist who has won the prize twice, in 2001 and 2011. Radiohead and Arctic Monkeys have both been nominated five times, which is the record for the most nominations.

What People Think of the Prize

The "Mercury Effect"

Getting nominated for the Mercury Prize can make a big difference for an artist. After the band Elbow won in 2008 for their album The Seldom Seen Kid, their album sales went up by 700%. The band's singer, Guy Garvey, said winning was "the best thing that has ever happened to us."

Similarly, when James Blake won in 2013, sales of his album on Amazon increased by 2,500%. This boost in sales is often called the "Mercury effect."

Controversies and Debates

Even though the prize is well-respected, it has had some controversies. In 2001, the band Gorillaz asked for their album to be removed from the shortlist. The cartoon bassist for the band, Murdoc Niccals, joked that winning would be like "carrying a dead albatross round your neck for eternity."

People also debate which genres get nominated. The prize is open to all types of music, but some feel that classical, folk, and jazz albums are hard to compare with pop and rock albums. No classical album has been on the shortlist since 2002.

Fans of heavy metal have also pointed out that their genre is often overlooked. Only one metal album, Troublegum by Therapy?, has ever been nominated, back in 1994.

Sometimes, people are surprised by the winner. In 1994, the pop group M People won. Many people expected one of the famous Britpop bands like Blur or Pulp to win instead. This has given the prize a reputation for choosing unexpected winners over the favorites.

Winners and Nominees Through the Years

Here is a list of every winner and the other artists who were nominated each year.

Year	Winner	Shortlisted nominees
1992 (1st)	Primal Scream – Screamadelica	Barry Adamson – Soul Murder Jah Wobble's Invaders of the Heart – Rising Above Bedlam The Jesus and Mary Chain – Honey's Dead Bheki Mseleku – Celebration Saint Etienne – Foxbase Alpha Simply Red – Stars U2 – Achtung Baby John Tavener and Steven Isserlis – The Protecting Veil Young Disciples – Road to Freedom
1993 (2nd)	Suede – Suede	Apache Indian – No Reservations The Auteurs – New Wave Gavin Bryars – Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet Dina Carroll – So Close PJ Harvey – Rid of Me New Order – Republic Stereo MCs – Connected Sting – Ten Summoner's Tales Stan Tracey – Portraits Plus
1994 (3rd)	M People – Elegant Slumming	Blur – Parklife Ian McNabb – Head Like a Rock Shara Nelson – What Silence Knows Michael Nyman – The Piano Concerto/MGV The Prodigy – Music for the Jilted Generation Pulp – His 'n' Hers Take That – Everything Changes Therapy? – Troublegum Paul Weller – Wild Wood
1995 (4th)	Portishead – Dummy	Guy Barker – Into the Blue Elastica – Elastica PJ Harvey – To Bring You My Love Leftfield – Leftism James MacMillan – Seven Last Words from the Cross Van Morrison – Days Like This Oasis – Definitely Maybe Supergrass – I Should Coco Tricky – Maxinquaye
1996 (5th)	Pulp – Different Class	Artists for War Child – Help Black Grape – It's Great When You're Straight... Yeah Peter Maxwell Davies/BBC Philharmonic – The Beltane Fire / Caroline Mathilde Manic Street Preachers – Everything Must Go Mark Morrison – Return of the Mack Oasis – (What's the Story) Morning Glory? Courtney Pine – Modern Day Jazz Stories Underworld – Second Toughest in the Infants Norma Waterson – Norma Waterson
1997 (6th)	Roni Size & Reprazent – New Forms	The Chemical Brothers – Dig Your Own Hole Beth Orton – Trailer Park Primal Scream – Vanishing Point The Prodigy – The Fat of the Land Radiohead – OK Computer Spice Girls – Spice Suede – Coming Up John Tavener – Svyati Mark-Anthony Turnage – Your Rockaby
1998 (7th)	Gomez – Bring It On	4hero – Two Pages Asian Dub Foundation – Rafi's Revenge Eliza Carthy – Red Rice Catatonia – International Velvet Cornershop – When I Was Born for the 7th Time Massive Attack – Mezzanine Propellerheads – Decksandrumsandrockandroll Pulp – This Is Hardcore John Surman – Proverbs and Songs The Verve – Urban Hymns Robbie Williams – Life thru a Lens
1999 (8th)	Talvin Singh – Ok	Thomas Adès – Asyla Denys Baptiste – Be Where You Are Black Star Liner – Bengali Bantam Youth Experience! Blur – 13 The Chemical Brothers – Surrender Faithless – Sunday 8PM Manic Street Preachers – This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours Beth Orton – Central Reservation Kate Rusby – Sleepless Stereophonics – Performance and Cocktails Underworld – Beaucoup Fish
2000 (9th)	Badly Drawn Boy – The Hour of Bewilderbeast	Richard Ashcroft – Alone with Everybody Coldplay – Parachutes MJ Cole – Sincere Death in Vegas – The Contino Sessions The Delgados – The Great Eastern Doves – Lost Souls Helicopter Girl – How to Steal the World Leftfield – Rhythm and Stealth Nicholas Maw – Violin Concerto Nitin Sawhney – Beyond Skin Kathryn Williams – Little Black Numbers
2001 (10th)	PJ Harvey – Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea	Basement Jaxx – Rooty Elbow – Asleep in the Back Goldfrapp – Felt Mountain Gorillaz – Gorillaz (nomination withdrawn at the request of the band) Ed Harcourt – Here Be Monsters Tom McRae – Tom McRae Radiohead – Amnesiac Susheela Raman – Salt Rain Super Furry Animals – Rings Around the World Turin Brakes – The Optimist LP Zero 7 – Simple Things
2002 (11th)	Ms. Dynamite – A Little Deeper	Guy Barker – Soundtrack The Bees – Sunshine Hit Me David Bowie – Heathen The Coral – The Coral Doves – The Last Broadcast The Electric Soft Parade – Holes in the Wall Gemma Hayes – Night on My Side Beverley Knight – Who I Am Roots Manuva – Run Come Save Me Joanna MacGregor – Play The Streets – Original Pirate Material
2003 (12th)	Dizzee Rascal – Boy in da Corner	Athlete – Vehicles and Animals Eliza Carthy – Anglicana Coldplay – A Rush of Blood to the Head The Darkness – Permission to Land Floetry – Floetic Soweto Kinch – Conversations with the Unseen Lemon Jelly – Lost Horizons The Thrills – So Much for the City Martina Topley-Bird – Quixotic Radiohead – Hail to the Thief Terri Walker – Untitled
2004 (13th)	Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand	Basement Jaxx – Kish Kash Belle & Sebastian – Dear Catastrophe Waitress Jamelia – Thank You Keane – Hopes and Fears Snow Patrol – Final Straw Joss Stone – The Soul Sessions The Streets – A Grand Don't Come for Free Ty – Upwards Amy Winehouse – Frank Robert Wyatt – Cuckooland The Zutons – Who Killed...... The Zutons?
2005 (14th)	Antony and the Johnsons – I Am a Bird Now	Bloc Party – Silent Alarm Coldplay – X&Y Hard-Fi – Stars of CCTV Kaiser Chiefs – Employment KT Tunstall – Eye to the Telescope M.I.A. – Arular Maxïmo Park – A Certain Trigger Polar Bear – Held on the Tips of Fingers Seth Lakeman – Kitty Jay The Go! Team – Thunder, Lightning, Strike The Magic Numbers – The Magic Numbers
2006 (15th)	Arctic Monkeys – Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not	Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan – Ballad of the Broken Seas Editors – The Back Room Guillemots – Through the Windowpane Richard Hawley – Coles Corner Hot Chip – The Warning Muse – Black Holes & Revelations Zoe Rahman – Melting Pot Lou Rhodes – Beloved One Scritti Politti – White Bread Black Beer Sway – This Is My Demo Thom Yorke – The Eraser
2007 (16th)	Klaxons – Myths of the Near Future	Arctic Monkeys – Favourite Worst Nightmare Basquiat Strings with Seb Rochford – Basquiat Strings Bat for Lashes – Fur and Gold Dizzee Rascal – Maths + English Maps – We Can Create New Young Pony Club – Fantastic Playroom Fionn Regan – The End of History Jamie T – Panic Prevention The View – Hats Off to the Buskers Amy Winehouse – Back to Black Young Knives – Voices of Animals and Men
2008 (17th)	Elbow – The Seldom Seen Kid	Adele – 19 British Sea Power – Do You Like Rock Music? Burial – Untrue Estelle – Shine The Last Shadow Puppets – The Age of the Understatement Laura Marling – Alas, I Cannot Swim Neon Neon – Stainless Style Robert Plant & Alison Krauss – Raising Sand Portico Quartet – Knee Deep in the North Sea Radiohead – In Rainbows Rachel Unthank and the Winterset – The Bairns
2009 (18th)	Speech Debelle – Speech Therapy	Bat for Lashes – Two Suns Florence and the Machine – Lungs Friendly Fires – Friendly Fires Glasvegas – Glasvegas Lisa Hannigan – Sea Sew The Horrors – Primary Colours The Invisible – The Invisible Kasabian – West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum La Roux – La Roux Led Bib – Sensible Shoes Sweet Billy Pilgrim – Twice Born Men
2010 (19th)	The xx – xx	Corinne Bailey Rae – The Sea Biffy Clyro – Only Revolutions Dizzee Rascal – Tongue n' Cheek Foals – Total Life Forever I Am Kloot – Sky at Night Kit Downes Trio – Golden Laura Marling – I Speak Because I Can Mumford & Sons – Sigh No More Villagers – Becoming a Jackal Paul Weller – Wake Up the Nation Wild Beasts – Two Dancers
2011 (20th)	PJ Harvey – Let England Shake	Adele – 21 James Blake – James Blake Anna Calvi – Anna Calvi Elbow – Build a Rocket Boys! Everything Everything – Man Alive Ghostpoet – Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam Katy B – On a Mission King Creosote & Jon Hopkins – Diamond Mine Metronomy – The English Riviera Gwilym Simcock – Good Days At Schloss Elmau Tinie Tempah – Disc-Overy
2012 (21st)	alt-J – An Awesome Wave	Django Django – Django Django Field Music – Plumb Richard Hawley – Standing at the Sky's Edge Ben Howard – Every Kingdom Michael Kiwanuka – Home Again Lianne La Havas – Is Your Love Big Enough? Sam Lee – Ground of its Own The Maccabees – Given to the Wild Plan B – ill Manors Roller Trio – Roller Trio Jessie Ware – Devotion
2013 (22nd)	James Blake – Overgrown	Arctic Monkeys – AM David Bowie – The Next Day Jake Bugg – Jake Bugg Disclosure – Settle Foals – Holy Fire Jon Hopkins – Immunity Laura Marling – Once I Was an Eagle Laura Mvula – Sing to the Moon Rudimental – Home Savages – Silence Yourself Villagers – Awayland
2014 (23rd)	Young Fathers – Dead	Damon Albarn – Everyday Robots Bombay Bicycle Club – So Long, See You Tomorrow Anna Calvi – One Breath East India Youth – Total Strife Forever FKA twigs – LP1 GoGo Penguin – V2.0 Jungle – Jungle Nick Mulvey – First Mind Polar Bear – In Each and Every One Royal Blood – Royal Blood Kae Tempest – Everybody Down
2015 (24th)	Benjamin Clementine – At Least for Now	Aphex Twin – Syro Gaz Coombes – Matador C Duncan – Architect Eska – Eska Florence and the Machine – How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful Ghostpoet – Shedding Skin Róisín Murphy – Hairless Toys Slaves – Are You Satisfied? Soak – Before We Forgot How to Dream Wolf Alice – My Love Is Cool Jamie xx – In Colour
2016 (25th)	Skepta – Konnichiwa	Anohni – Hopelessness Bat for Lashes – The Bride David Bowie – Blackstar The Comet Is Coming – Channel the Spirits Kano – Made in the Manor Michael Kiwanuka – Love & Hate Laura Mvula – The Dreaming Room The 1975 – I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of It Radiohead – A Moon Shaped Pool Savages – Adore Life Jamie Woon – Making Time
2017 (26th)	Sampha – Process	alt-J – Relaxer The Big Moon – Love in the 4th Dimension Blossoms – Blossoms Loyle Carner – Yesterday's Gone Dinosaur – Together, As One Glass Animals – How to Be a Human Being J Hus – Common Sense Ed Sheeran – ÷ Stormzy – Gang Signs & Prayer Kae Tempest – Let Them Eat Chaos The xx – I See You
2018 (27th)	Wolf Alice – Visions of a Life	Arctic Monkeys – Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino Everything Everything – A Fever Dream Everything Is Recorded – Everything Is Recorded Florence + the Machine – High as Hope Jorja Smith – Lost & Found King Krule – The Ooz Lily Allen – No Shame Nadine Shah – Holiday Destination Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds – Who Built the Moon? Novelist – Novelist Guy Sons of Kemet – Your Queen Is a Reptile
2019 (28th)	Dave – Psychodrama	Anna Calvi – Hunter Black Midi – Schlagenheim Cate Le Bon – Reward Foals – Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost – Part 1 Fontaines D.C. – Dogrel Idles – Joy as an Act of Resistance Little Simz – Grey Area Nao – Saturn SEED Ensemble – Driftglass slowthai – Nothing Great About Britain The 1975 – A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships
2020 (29th)	Michael Kiwanuka – Kiwanuka	Anna Meredith – Fibs Charli XCX – how i'm feeling now Dua Lipa – Future Nostalgia Georgia – Seeking Thrills Kano – Hoodies All Summer Lanterns on the Lake – Spook the Herd Laura Marling – Song for Our Daughter Moses Boyd – Dark Matter Porridge Radio – Every Bad Sports Team – Deep Down Happy Stormzy – Heavy Is the Head
2021 (30th)	Arlo Parks – Collapsed in Sunbeams	Berwyn – Demotape/Vega Black Country, New Road – For the First Time Celeste – Not Your Muse Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders and the London Symphony Orchestra – Promises Ghetts – Conflict of Interest Hannah Peel – Fir Wave Laura Mvula – Pink Noise Mogwai – As the Love Continues Nubya Garcia – Source Sault – Untitled (Rise) Wolf Alice – Blue Weekend
2022 (31st)	Little Simz – Sometimes I Might Be Introvert	Fergus McCreadie – Forest Floor Gwenno – Tresor Harry Styles – Harry's House Jessie Buckley & Bernard Butler – For All Our Days That Tear the Heart Joy Crookes – Skin Kojey Radical – Reason to Smile Nova Twins – Supernova Sam Fender – Seventeen Going Under Self Esteem – Prioritise Pleasure Wet Leg – Wet Leg Yard Act – The Overload
2023 (32nd)	Ezra Collective – Where I'm Meant to Be	Arctic Monkeys – The Car Fred Again – Actual Life 3 (January 1 – September 9 2022) J Hus – Beautiful and Brutal Yard Jessie Ware – That! Feels Good! Jockstrap – I Love You Jennifer B Lankum – False Lankum Loyle Carner – Hugo Olivia Dean – Messy Raye – My 21st Century Blues Shygirl – Nymph Young Fathers – Heavy Heavy
2024 (33rd)	English Teacher – This Could Be Texas	Barry Can't Swim – When Will We Land? Berwyn – Who Am I Beth Gibbons – Lives Outgrown Cat Burns – Early Twenties Charli XCX – Brat CMAT – Crazymad, for Me Corinne Bailey Rae – Black Rainbows corto.alto – Bad With Names Ghetts – On Purpose, with Purpose The Last Dinner Party – Prelude to Ecstasy Nia Archives – Silence Is Loud

Artists with Multiple Nominations

Some artists have been nominated for the Mercury Prize more than once. This list shows artists who have received multiple nominations under the same name.

5 nominations

Radiohead
Arctic Monkeys (1 win)

4 nominations

PJ Harvey (2 wins)
Laura Marling

3 nominations

Anna Calvi
Bat for Lashes
Coldplay
David Bowie
Dizzee Rascal (1 win)
Elbow (1 win)
Florence and the Machine
Foals
Laura Mvula
Michael Kiwanuka (1 win)
Pulp (1 win)
Wolf Alice (1 win)

2 nominations

The 1975
Adele
alt-J (1 win)
Amy Winehouse
Basement Jaxx
Berwyn
Beth Orton
Blur
Charli XCX
The Chemical Brothers
Corinne Bailey Rae
Doves
Eliza Carthy
Everything Everything
Ghetts
Ghostpoet
Guy Barker
J Hus
James Blake (1 win)
Jessie Ware
John Tavener
Jon Hopkins
Kae Tempest
Kano
Leftfield
Little Simz (1 win)
Loyle Carner
Manic Street Preachers
Oasis
Paul Weller
Polar Bear
Primal Scream (1 win)
The Prodigy
Richard Hawley
Savages
Stormzy
The Streets
Suede (1 win)
Underworld
Villagers
Young Fathers (1 win)
The xx (1 win)