Mercury Prize 2026: from Suede to McCartney, here are all the finalists

The shortlist for the 2026 Mercury Prize has been announced, the award that each year honours the best British or Irish album. The winner will be crowned on 22 October at the Utilita Arena in Newcastle, during a ceremony that will also feature live performances from some of the shortlisted artists and will be broadcast by the BBC.
After Sam Fender's triumph with “People Watching” in 2025, the new selection brings together twelve albums that capture the breadth of the British and Irish music scene, spanning big names, debuts and boundary-pushing projects.

Among the nominees, Paul McCartney stands out, earning his first-ever Mercury Prize nomination thanks to “The Boys Of Dungeon Lane“. Also in the running are Dave with “The Boy Who Played The Harp”, Florence + The Machine with “Everybody Scream“, Olivia Dean with “The Art of Loving“, Nia Archives with “Emotional Junglist” and RAYE with “THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE”.
Suede are also back in the race with “Antidepressants“. It's the third nomination for Brett Anderson's band: back in 1993 they won the award with their debut album “Suede”.
Rounding out the shortlist are the solo debut from former Little Mix member JADE, “THAT’S SHOWBIZ BABY!”, Irish singer-songwriter Dove Ellis with “Blizzard”, jazz-poetry collective Knats with “A Great Day In Newcastle”, Kojey Radical with “Don’t Look Down”, and the charity compilation “HELP(2)“, released by War Child Records, which brings together contributions from artists such as Arctic Monkeys, Fontaines D.C., Depeche Mode, Damon Albarn, Young Fathers, English Teacher and Olivia Rodrigo.

There was no shortage of notable snubs. Albums left out of the selection include “West End Girl” by Lily Allen, “Kiss All The Time” by Harry Styles, “Occasionally” by Disco, “Essex Honey” by Blood Orange, “You’re Gonna Need A Little Music” by Yard Act, “From The Pyre” by The Last Dinner Party and “Inferno” by Boards Of Canada.
The winner of the 2026 Mercury Prize will be announced during the ceremony in Newcastle, which will also feature live performances from the shortlisted artists and will be broadcast by the BBC.

2026 Mercury Prize Shortlist

• 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)”

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