Mercury Prize facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mercury Prize
2022 Mercury Prize logo
Date	7 September 2023
Location	United Kingdom
Reward	£25,000 (2017)
First awarded	9 September 1992; 32 years ago (1992-09-09)
Currently held by	Ezra Collective – Where I'm Meant to Be (2023)

The Mercury Prize is a special yearly music award. It celebrates the very best album released by a musician or band from the United Kingdom or Ireland. It used to be called the Mercury Music Prize. This award was started in 1992 as a different kind of music prize, separate from the Brit Awards.

How the Mercury Prize Works

Who Can Enter?

Any album from a British or Irish artist can be entered. If it's a band, more than half of the members must be British or Irish. Record labels send in albums for their artists to be considered.

How Albums Are Chosen

A group of music experts picks twelve albums to be on the "shortlist." These experts include musicians, producers, journalists, and festival organizers. They choose the albums only based on how good the music is. It doesn't matter how popular or famous the artist is.

What Kinds of Music?

The Mercury Prize is open to all kinds of music! This includes pop, rock, folk, grime, dance, jazz, blues, electronic, and classical music.

The Awards Show

The awards show usually happens in October, after the shortlist is announced in September. When an album is chosen for the shortlist, or especially if it wins, the artist often sells many more copies of their album. This is great for artists who might not be as well-known.

Every artist on the shortlist gets a special "Albums of the Year" trophy. The overall winner also receives a prize of money. In 2017, the winner got £25,000! They also get an extra winner's trophy.

History of the Award

Where the Name Comes From

The prize got its name from its first sponsor, Mercury Communications. Over the years, different companies have sponsored the award. These included Technics, Panasonic, Nationwide Building Society, and Barclaycard. The BBC and Hyundai also sponsored it. Today, Free Now is the main sponsor.

Special Winners

PJ Harvey is the only artist to have won the award more than once. She won in 2001 and again in 2011. She was also the first female solo artist to win.

Alex Turner has been nominated six times. Five times with his band Arctic Monkeys and once with The Last Shadow Puppets. He won once. Thom Yorke from Radiohead has also been nominated six times, but he has not won the award yet.

In 2022, the awards ceremony was postponed for the first time ever. This happened because Queen Elizabeth II passed away.

Why the Mercury Prize Matters

Boosting Album Sales

Winning or even being nominated for the Mercury Prize can really help an artist's album sales. For example, after Elbow won in 2008 with their album The Seldom Seen Kid, their sales went up by 700%! The band's singer, Guy Garvey, said winning was "quite literally the best thing that has ever happened to us."

Similarly, sales for The xx's winning album jumped by 450% the day after they won in 2010. And James Blake saw a huge 2,500% increase in sales on Amazon after he won in 2013.

Different Views on the Prize

Even though many people think the Mercury Prize is very important, some have joked that winning it might bring bad luck to a music career!

In 2001, the band Gorillaz even asked for their album to be taken off the shortlist. They said winning would be "like carrying a dead albatross round your neck for eternity."

The judges say they pick albums based only on their musical quality, no matter the genre. However, some people have pointed out that classical, folk, and jazz albums rarely win. No classical album has been shortlisted since 2002.

The Mercury Prize is also known for sometimes picking unexpected winners instead of the most popular artists. For example, in 1994, M People won with Elegant Slumming. Some thought this was a surprise because popular bands like Blur and Pulp were also nominated.

Some critics have also questioned the rules about where artists are from. For example, in 2005, Antony and the Johnsons won, even though the band was based in the United States. However, the lead singer was British-born, which made them eligible.

Also, heavy metal music has almost never been nominated for the prize. Only one metal album, Troublegum by Therapy?, has ever been nominated, back in 1994. Some say this is because metal is a "niche" genre that not as many people listen to.

Winners and Shortlisted Albums

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	Person (vocalist) performing on stage
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	Five men sitting at a table at a press conference
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	A man playing a guitar and singing on stage. He is wearing a denim jacket and woolen cap
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	A girl singing and playing a guitar on stage
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	A man rapping on stage, with purple spotlights behind him
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	PJ Harvey
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

Artists with Multiple Wins

2 wins

• PJ Harvey (won in 2001 and 2011, nominated in 1993, 1995, 2001, and 2011)

Artists with Multiple Nominations

This list shows artists or bands nominated more than once under the same name. It doesn't include times they appeared on compilation albums or if a person was nominated both as a solo artist and a band member.

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)