Mercury Prize 2025: The full list of nominated albums revealed
Fontaines DC, Sam Fender and CMAT are among the nominees for the Mercury Prize 2025, which is set to be held in Newcastle next month.
For the first time in the history of the prestigious prize, the ceremony will be held outside London and will take place at the Utilita Arena, Newcastle, on October 16th, 2025. Last year, Leeds band English Teacher won the award for debut album, This Could Be Texas, and 12 artists are now looking to follow in their footsteps.
Now, with little over a month to go until the big night, the list of 12 nominated albums have been revealed by Lauren Laverne, who will host the ceremony in Newcastle, on BBC Radio 6 Music.
CMAT has been nominated for the second consecutive year with her latest album, Euro-Country, which was released on August 29th, the final day that records could be released to be eligible for the Mercury Prize in 2025.
In contrast, Fontaines DC are nominated for their fourth album, Romance, which arrived more than a year before CMAT’s latest offering. Emma-Jean Thackray has been nominated for the first time in her career for her second album, Weirdo, and FKA Twigs has also been nominated for Eusexua.
One of the biggest music stories of 2025 was the return of Pulp, who released their first album in more than two decades, More, which has also secured a Mercury nomination. The Sheffield legends previously won the prize in 1996 for their seminal masterpiece, A Different Class.
Other notable nominees include Newcastle’s very own Sam Fender for his third album, People Watching, Wolf Alice with The Clearing, and PinkPantheress with Fancy That. Folk veteran Martin Carthy, aged 84, is also nominated thanks to his latest offering, Transform Me Then Into A Fish.
The list of nominees is rounded out by rapper Pa Salieu with Afrikan Alien, jazz artist Joe Webb’s Hamstrings & Hurricanes and Scottish singer-songwriter Jacob Alon’s In Limerence.
When the move to Newcastle for the Mercury Prize was announced, BPI chief executive Dr Jo Twist described the move as a “groundbreaking moment for the Mercury Prize”.
Twist added: “Newcastle-upon-Tyne is a true music city and we are excited to work with our partners at The City of Newcastle & North East Combined Authority to deliver this inaugural moment and a memorable Mercury Prize 2025.”
The full list of nominations are listed below.
Mercury Prize 2025: The complete list of nominated albums:
- CMAT – Euro-Country
- Emma-Jean Thackray – Weirdo
- FKA Twigs – Eusexua
- Fontaines DC – Romance
- Jacob Alon – In Limerence
- Joe Webb – Hamstrings & Hurricanes
- Martin Carthy – Transform Me Then Into A Fish
- Pa Salieu – Afrikan Alien
- PinkPantheress – Fancy That
- Pulp – More
- Sam Fender – People Watching
- Wolf Alice – The Clearing
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