The date for this year’s Mercury Prize award ceremony has been confirmed. The prestigious event will take place on Thursday 8th September 2022 at London’s Eventim Apollo. The acclaimed musical institution took to Instagram to announce its return and share details concerning the upcoming ceremony.
The Mercury Prize Award ceremony and competition take place each year to celebrate British and Irish music. Each year, 12 albums are shortlisted to contend for the accolade; these albums are chosen from a range of genres and incorporate new and established artists. The list is then presented to a panel of judges consisting of industry professionals who proceed with the lengthy decision process. On the day of the ceremony the panel then meets again to choose the album of the year, and the winner is awarded the Mercury Music Prize which consists of a cash prize and a trophy. Most importantly, the winning artist receives the awareness, visibility, commercial success and professional respect which follow the confirmed win.
The following statement further describes the prize’s importance within popular music, “It is the music equivalent to the Booker Prize for literature and the Turner Prize for art. The main objectives of the Prize are to recognise and celebrate artistic achievement, provide a snapshot of the year in music and to help introduce new albums from a range of music genres to a wider audience.”
This year’s shortlisted twelve ‘Albums Of The Year’ will be confirmed on Thursday 28th July 2022, and updates concerning this year’s nominees can be found on social media channels. Music fans can also stay informed using the Mercury Prize’s new headline sponsor, FREE NOW, Europe’s leading Mobility Super App. The event’s existing partner Bowers & Wilkins will continue to act as the Mercury Prize’s official audio partner.
The Mercury Music Prize has been a signal of achievement and talent since its inception 30 years ago. The accolade and event were created in association with the British Phonographic Industry. The first event took place in 1992 and was originally produced to contend with the Brit Awards, the first Mercury Music Prize was awarded to Primal Scream for their third studio album Screamadelica.
Throughout the award’s long and storied history, the prize has been awarded to 29 different albums but only one artist has won twice. English singer-songwriter PJ Harvey famously won the Mercury Prize in 2001 for Stories From the City and again in 2011 for her eighth studio album Let England Shake. Many debut albums have been awarded the prize including An Awesome Wave by Alt-J and Psychodrama by Dave. Last year’s winner was also a debut album, Arlo Parks took home the 2021 Mercury Prize award for Collapsed In Sunbeams. The 21-year-old singer’s album was chosen from the 12 shortlisted albums. Other 2021 nominees included Mogwai’s As The Love Continues and Blue Weekend by Wolf Alice.
Coverage of the event will be provided by BBC Music, the long-time broadcast partner will document this year’s Mercury Music Prize via radio and television.
