Entertainment/Mercury prize
The Mercury Prize is awarded annually for the best album released in the United Kingdom by a British or Irish act. The Prize has no categories and is open to all genres of music. There are 12 shortlisted Albums of the Year
The prize was originally sponsored by Mercury Communications and was known as the Mercury Music Prize. It was created in 1992 as an alternative to the Brit Awards
Year | Winner | Shortlisted nominations included – |
1992 | Primal Scream – Screamadelica | Simply Red – Stars
U2 – Achtung Baby |
1993 | Suede – Suede | East 17 – Walthamstow
Sting – Ten Summoner’s Tales |
1994 | M People – Elegant Slumming | Blur – Parklife
The Prodigy – Music for the Jilted Generation Take That – Everything Changes |
1995 | Portishead – Dummy | The Boo Radleys – Wake Up!
Oasis – Definitely Maybe |
1996 | Pulp – Different Class | Manic Street Preachers – Everything Must Go
Oasis – (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? |
1997 | Roni Size & Reprazent – New Forms | The Chemical Brothers – Dig Your Own Hole
Radiohead – OK Computer Spice Girls – Spice |
1998 | Gomez – Bring It On | Massive Attack – Mezzanine
The Verve – Urban Hymns Robbie Williams – Life thru a Lens |
1999 | Talvin Singh – Ok | Blur – 13
Stereophonics – Performance and Cocktails |
2000 | Badly Drawn Boy – The Hour of Dewilderbeest | Coldplay – Parachutes
Doves – Lost Souls |
2001 | PJ Harvey – Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea | Gorillaz – Gorillaz
Radiohead – Amnesiac |
2002 | Ms. Dynamite – A Little Deeper | David Bowie – Heathen
Beverley Knight – Who I Am |
2003 | Dizzee Rascal – Boy in da Corner | Coldplay – A Rush of Blood to the Head
Radiohead – Hail to the Thief |
2004 | Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand | Keane – Hopes and Fears
Snow Patrol – Final Straw Amy Winehouse – Frank |
2005 | Anthony and the Johnsons – I Am a Bird Now | Bloc Party – Silent Alarm
Coldplay – X&Y KT Tunstall – Eye to the Telescope |
2006 | Arctic Monkeys – Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not | Muse – Black Holes & Revelations
Thom Yorke – The Eraser |
2007 | Klaxons – Myths of the Near Future | Arctic Monkeys – Favourite Worst Nightmare
Dizzee Rascal – Maths + English Amy Winehouse – Back to Black |
2008 | Elbow – The Seldom Seen Kid | Adele – 19
Radiohead – In Rainbows |
2009 | Speech Debelle – Speech Therapy | Florence and the Machine – Lungs
Kasabian – West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum |
2010 | The xx – xx | Mumford & Sons – Sigh No More
Paul Weller – Wake Up the Nation |
2011 | PJ Harvey – Let England Shake | Adele – 21
Elbow – Build a Rocket Boys! Tinie Tempah – Disc-Overy |
2012 | alt-J – An Awesome Wave | Michael Kiwanuka – Home Again
Plan B – ill Manors |
2013 | James Blake – Overgrown | Arctic Monkeys – AM
David Bowie – The Next Day |
2014 | Young Fathers – Dead | Damon Albarn – Everyday Robots
Royal Blood – Royal Blood |
2015 | Benjamin Clementine – At Least for Now | Florence and the Machine – How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful
Wolf Alice – My Love Is Cool |
2016 | Skepta – Konnichiwa | David Bowie – Blackstar
The 1975 – I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of It Radiohead – A Moon Shaped Pool |
2017 | Sampha – Process | Ed Sheeran – ÷
Stormzy – Gang Signs & Prayer |
2018 | Wolf Alice – Visions of a Life | Lily Allen – No Shame
Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds – Who Built the Moon? |
2019 | Dave – Psychodrama | Little Simz – Grey Area
The 1975 – A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships |
2020 | Michael Kiwanuka – Kiwanuka | Dua Lipa – Future Nostalgia
Stormzy – Heavy is the Head |
2021 | Arlo Parks – Collapsed in Sunbeams | Laura Mvula – Pink Noise
Wolf Alice – Blue Weekend |
2022 | Little Simz – Sometimes I Might Be Introvert | Harry Styles – Harry’s House
Sam Fender – Seventeen Going Under Wet Leg – Wet Leg |
2023 | Ezra Collective – Where I’m Meant to Be | Arctic Monkeys – The Car
FredAgain... – Actual Life 3 (January 1 - September 9, 2022) Jessie Ware – That! Feels Good! J Hus – Beautiful And Brutal Yard 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 |
Trivia
PJ Harvey is the only artist to win twice
Arctic Monkeys have had five nominations, with one win. Alex Turner also had a nomination as a member of The Last Shadow Puppets
Radiohead have had five nominations, with no wins. Thom Yorke also had an individual nomination
PJ Harvey has had four nominations, with two wins
Laura Marling has had four nominations, with no wins
In 2001 Gorillaz pulled out hours after being declared favourites to win the award. Cartoon bassist Murdoc said winning would be "like carrying a dead albatross round your neck for eternity"
Sponsors – Mercury Communications, Technics, Panasonic, Nationwide, Barclaycard, Hyundai. The current sponsors are FREE NOW
The winning artist receives a cash prize of £25,000