Mercury Prize ceremony to stay in Newcastle for 2026

Share on BlueskyShare on X

Sam Fender by Mac Scott

This year’s Mercury Prize ceremony will be held on October 22nd.

The Mercury Prize will be back in Newcastle for 2026 after the entirely coincidental win for Sam Fender when the ceremony was held in the city for the first time last year.

The departure to an arena-sized venue followed a somewhat low-key affair in 2024 when English Teacher’s debut album This Could Be Texas came out on top at a scaled-down ceremony at Abbey Road studios.

“The return of the Mercury Prize to Newcastle for a second consecutive year is a tremendous vote of confidence in our city and our thriving music scene,” Karen Kilgour, Leader of Newcastle City Council, said.

Newcastle is at the heart of a bold cultural resurgence, and hosting this prestigious national event once again underlines both the strength of our music industry and the growing national recognition of our cultural ambitions.