The 2026 Mercury Prize 12 albums of the year have been unveiled with a strong showing for former nominees along with a pair of previous winners.
The Mercury Prize recognises the best new British & Irish music and celebrates the album format. The list of contenders was announced on BBC Radio 6 Music and BBC Sounds by Jamz Supernova.
The Mercury Prize returns to Newcastle as the host city for 2026, in partnership with Newcastle City Council. The ceremony will be held on Thursday, October 22 at the Utilita Arena, Newcastle and will feature live performances from many of the artists on the list.
Olivia Dean has been on a winning run with her second album The Art Of Loving, which is now in the running for the Mercury Prize – a 100% record following her nod for debut album Messy in 2023. The Art Of Loving is the biggest seller on the list with consumption to date of 699,113 units (Official Charts Company).
Former winners Dave and Suede are also in the running for the Mercury Prize this year. Following a 2019 victory for debut album Psychodrama, Dave returns with a second nomination for No.1 album The Boy Who Played The Harp (148,759 units to date).
Suede have a third nomination with Antidepressants – which peaked at No.2 (27,704 units to date) – following the win for their self-titled debut at the second edition of the Mercury Prize in 1993 and a nod for third album Coming Up in 1997, which is getting the 30th anniversary reissue treatment next month. The first Suede nomination in 29 years caps more than a decade of success with their reunion, which has seen five consecutive Top 10 albums and some of the best reviews of their career.
Suede also featured on the Help album for War Child which was nominated in 1996. The follow-up Help(2) album has now been nominated for 2026’s prize.
First-time nominees for the 2026 Mercury Prize include Jade, Dove Ellis, Fontana-signed UK jazz act Knats and Paul McCartney, who had never previously been included in the award’s 34-year history.
Other former nominees in the running include Raye with No.1 album This Music May Contain Hope (124,857 units to date), along with Florence + The Machine (the most nominated Mercury artist here with four nods but no wins), Kojey Radical and Nia Archives.
The 2026 Mercury Prize 12 Albums Of The Year are:
Dave – The Boy Who Played the Harp (Neighbourhood)
Dove Ellis – Blizzard (Black Butter)
Florence + The Machine – Everybody Scream (Polydor)
Jade – That’s Showbiz Baby! (RCA)
Knats – A Great Day In Newcastle (Fontana)
Kojey Radical – Don't Look Down (Atlantic)
Nia Archives – Emotional Junglist (Island)
Olivia Dean – The Art of Loving (Capitol)
Paul McCartney – The Boys Of Dungeon Lane (EMI)
Raye – This Music May Contain Hope (Human Re Sources/The Orchard)
Suede – Antidepressants (BMG)
War Child Records – Help(2) (War Child/XL Beggars)
Albums by British or Irish artists released between Saturday, August 30, 2025 and Friday, July 17, 2026 were eligible for this year’s prize. The list is curated by an independent judging team of music industry professionals.
Artists who missed out this year included Lily Allen, Harry Styles, the Rolling Stones, Maisie Peters, Gorillaz and Charli XCX with her Wuthering Heights soundtrack album (new album Music, Fashion, Film slips into next year’s eligibility period).
Sam Fender won last year, following recent past recipients across a range of genres including English Teacher, Ezra Collective, Little Simz, Dave, Arlo Parks, Wolf Alice, Young Fathers and more.
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