Mercury Prize facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mercury Prize
Mercury Prize logo
Date	Every September or October
Location	United Kingdom
Reward	£25,000
First awarded	9 September 1992; 34 years ago (1992-09-09)
Currently held by	Raye – This Music May Contain Hope (2026)

The Mercury Prize is a famous music prize given out every year in the United Kingdom. It celebrates the best music album created by a musician or group from the UK or from Ireland. Music experts Jon Webster and Robert Chandler created the prize in 1992 together with the British Phonographic Industry. They wanted to give music fans an exciting alternative to the Brit Awards.

How the Mercury Prize Works

Picking the Best Album of the Year

Record labels submit albums to be judged by an expert panel. This panel includes talented musicians, music journalists, radio hosts, and concert organizers. The judges listen closely to the songs. They choose twelve special records to make up the shortlist.

Judges focus entirely on the quality of the music. They do not care about how many copies an album sold. They also do not care how famous the band is. Every nominated act receives a special "Albums of the Year" trophy. The top winner receives an extra trophy and a cash prize of £25,000.

All Styles of Music Welcome

The competition welcomes all kinds of different sounds. Musicians who play pop, rock, electronica, and dance can all enter. It also includes folk music, jazz, grime, and even classical sounds.

Winning or getting nominated can change a musician's life. Many artists see their album sales skyrocket right after the show. When the rock band Elbow won the prize in 2008 for The Seldom Seen Kid, their record sales jumped by 700 percent. Band leader Guy Garvey said winning was the greatest event in their musical career. Electronic musician James Blake enjoyed a 2,500 percent rise in sales on Amazon after winning in 2013. The indie band The xx also saw huge sales gains after winning in 2010.

Important Changes and Surprising Moments

Changes to the Contest Rules

The rules for who can enter have adapted over time. In 2020, singer Rina Sawayama wanted to submit her pop record SAWAYAMA. Judges told her she could not join because she held a Japanese passport. Sawayama had lived in Britain for over 25 years. She spoke out to help international artists who call Britain their home. In 2021, the organizers changed the rule. Now, artists who have lived as a permanent resident in the UK or Ireland for five years can enter.

All submitted albums must also be available to buy digitally in the UK. In 2013, musician Kevin Shields from the group My Bloody Valentine complained about the digital rules when his group released m b v on their own website.

The Mysterious Curse and Surprises

Some musicians worry that winning the trophy puts too much pressure on their future work. In 2001, the famous cartoon band Gorillaz asked judges to remove their debut record Gorillaz from the shortlist. Cartoon member Murdoc Niccals joked that holding the prize was like carrying a heavy weight forever.

Judges often choose surprise winners over massive pop stars. In 1994, dance band M People took home the award for Elegant Slumming. They beat famous Britpop stars like Blur and Pulp. Fans of heavy metal music often feel left out, because judges rarely pick heavy guitar music. The rock group Therapy? became the only metal act ever nominated when their album Troublegum made the list in 1994. Music critic Alexis Petridis noted that heavy metal stays special because it remains outside typical contests.

Amazing Mercury Prize Records

Record-Breaking Musicians

• PJ Harvey became the first solo female artist to win. She is also the first musician to win twice, winning in 2001 and 2011.
• Alex Turner earned six nominations. Five came with his famous rock band Arctic Monkeys, and one came with The Last Shadow Puppets.
• Singer Thom Yorke earned six nominations across his career. Five nominations came with Radiohead, and one came from his solo project The Eraser.
• Singer Raye won the top prize in 2026 for her celebrated record This Music May Contain Hope.
• Rock band English Teacher became the first group outside London to win since Young Fathers won in 2014.

Winners and shortlisted nominees

Year	Winner	Shortlisted nominees	Image	Ref(s)
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 The Go! Team – Thunder, Lightning, Strike Hard-Fi – Stars of CCTV Kaiser Chiefs – Employment KT Tunstall – Eye to the Telescope The Magic Numbers – The Magic Numbers M.I.A. – Arular Maxïmo Park – A Certain Trigger Polar Bear – Held on the Tips of Fingers Seth Lakeman – Kitty Jay
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
2025 (34th)	Sam Fender – People Watching	CMAT – Euro-Country Emma-Jean Thackray – Weirdo FKA Twigs – Eusexua Fontaines D.C. – Romance Jacob Alon – In Limerence Joe Webb – Hamstrings & Hurricanes Martin Carthy – Transform Me Then Into a Fish Pa Salieu – Afrikan Alien PinkPantheress – Fancy That Pulp – More Wolf Alice – The Clearing
2026 (35th)	Raye – This Music May Contain Hope	Artists for War Child – Help(2) Dave – The Boy Who Played the Harp Dove Ellis – Blizzard Florence + The Machine – Everybody Scream Jade – That's Showbiz Baby! Knats – A Great Day in Newcastle Kojey Radical – Don't Look Down Nia Archives – Emotional Junglist Olivia Dean – The Art of Loving Paul McCartney – The Boys of Dungeon Lane Suede – Antidepressants

See also

In Spanish: Premio Mercury para niños

• Scottish Album of the Year Award
• Welsh Music Prize
• Northern Ireland Music Prize
• Choice Music Prize (Ireland, including Northern Ireland)
• Polaris Music Prize (Canada)
• Prix Constantin (France)
• Shortlist Music Prize (United States)
• Australian Music Prize
• Nordic Music Prize
• Premio Ruido (Spain)
• Taite Music Prize (New Zealand)