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. READ MORE: James Ford talks us through the huge new War Child ‘Help(2)’ album – track-by-track 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. Sam Fender on stage accepting the Mercury Music Prize for the album ‘People Watching’ 2025 awards. CREDIT: JMEnternational/Getty Images Big names to make this year’s 12 ‘Albums of the Year’ list include Dave with ‘The Boy Who Played the Harp’ after he won in 2019 with ‘Psychodrama‘, Florence + The Machine being nominated for a fourth time with sixth LP ‘Everybody Scream’, Olivia Dean landing a second Mercury nod but this time for the hugely successful ‘The Art Of Loving‘, RAYE returning this time for ‘THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE.’ and Beatles icon Paul McCartney‘s reflective ‘The Boys of Dungeon Lane’ finding him on the Mercury shortlist for the first time. Elsewhere, War Child Records’ indie star-studded charity compilation album ‘Help(2)‘ – which featured the likes of Arctic Monkeys, Fontaines D.C., Depeche Mode, Damon Albarn, Young Fathers, English Teacher and Olivia Rodrigo – has found a spot on the shortlist, 20 years after the first ‘Help’ compilation managed to do so in 1996. Completing the list are “generational voice” Irish singer Dove Ellis with ‘Blizzard’, former Little Mix star JADE’s huge solo debut ‘THAT’S SHOWBIZ BABY!’, Geordie jazz and poetry outfit Knats with ‘A Great Day In Newcastle’ for the hometown crowd, Kojey Radical’s making his second Mercury shortlist appearance with ‘Don’t Look Down’, and art-rock veterans Suede returning with ‘Antidepressants’ – their third nomination, including a win for their self-titled debut in 1993. Recommended Surprise snubs in this year’s shortlist include Lily Allen’s ‘West End Girl‘, Harry Styles’ ‘Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally’, ‘Essex Honey’ by Blood Orange, Yard Act’s new ‘You’re Gonna Need A Little Music‘, The Last Dinner Party’s sophomore ‘From The Pyre‘ and Boards Of Canada’s long-awaited comeback LP, ‘Inferno‘. The Mercury Prize ceremony in Newcastle in October will feature live performances from many of the artists, with coverage broadcast across the BBC. 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)’ This year’s victors will join the recent likes of English Teacher, Ezra Collective, Little Simz, Dave, Arlo Parks, Wolf Alice, Young Fathers and more, as well as legendary past winners such as Arctic Monkeys, Elbow, Pulp, Portishead, PJ Harvey and Franz Ferdinand. 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. Tickets to the Mercury Prize 2026 are on sale and available here. 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.