Mercury Prize 2026: check out this year’s shortlisted albums

The full shortlist for the Mercury Prize 2026 has been revealed, with Paul McCartney, JADE, Nia Archives, Dave, Suede and the War Child ‘Help(2)‘ compilation all among this year’s nominated albums.
The winner will be revealed on October 22 at Newcastle’s Utilita Arena, returning after hometown hero Sam Fender bagged the prize last year for his third album ‘People Watching‘.
To be eligible for this year’s prize, albums must have been released by British or Irish artists released between August 30 2025 and July 17 2026 (inclusive) – meaning that Charli XCX’s recent ‘Music, Fashion, Film’ won’t be able to enter until next year, while Nia Archives‘ acclaimed ‘Emotional Junglist’ just made the cut. The full shortlist for the Mercury Prize 2026 is:
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’
RAYE – ‘THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE.’
Suede – ‘Antidepressants’
War Child Records – ‘HELP(2)’
The winner will be decided by a judging panel made up of music writer and broadcaster Sophie Williams, The Times‘ rock and pop critic Will Hodgkinson, composer, DJ and radio broadcaster AFRODEUTSCHE, and broadcaster and musician Danielle Perry.
Alongside them will be Radio 2’s Jamie Cullum, Jeff Smith, Lea Stonhill, MistaJam, Kerrang‘s creative director Phil Alexander, Sian Eleri, with Jeff Smith The Chair of the judging team. Last year’s Mercury Prize saw nearly 8,000 visitors travel to Newcastle for the events, and generated a combined spend of £874,724. It also added an estimated £552,868 GVA to the regional economy, and led to 35 local people gaining work experience.
After Sam Fender’s win last year, he donated his £25,000 prize money to the Music Venue Trust (MVT), while highlighting the importance of “struggling” small gig spaces in the UK. (NME)