Mercury Prize 2025 shortlist revealed: See the 12 nominated albums

10 September 2025, 12:43 | Updated: 17 September 2025, 09:54

Fontaines D.C., Sam Fender, Pulp, Wolf Alice and CMAT's albums have made the 2025 Mercury Prize Albums of the Year shortlist. Picture: Simon Wheatley, Rough Trade, Press, Sarah Doyle, Rachel Fleminger Hudson

By Jenny Mensah

The 2025 Mercury Prize Albums Of The Year have been revealed with records from Pulp, Fontaines D.C., Sam Fender, Wolf Alice, CMAT and more on the shortlist.

Loading audio...

The Mercury Prize Albums of the Year has announced its shortlist for 2025.

The prestigious awards, which celebrates the best UK and Irish records of the last year, has named studio efforts from the likes of Sam Fender, Pulp, Wolf Alice and Fontaines D.C.

The Geordie singer-songwriter will be recognised for this third studio album, People Watching, with Britpop legends Pulp's first album in 24 years, More, also up for the honour.

Fontaines D.C and Wolf Alice have received a nod for their fourth studio albums, with the Dublin rockers' Romance and the London quartet's recent release The Clearing also making the shortlist.

Also on the list are the likes of CMAT's EURO-COUNTRY, FKA Twigs' EUSEXUA and Jacob Alon's In Limerence.

See the full Mercury Prize shortlist for 2025 below...

Introducing the artists behind the 2025 Mercury Prize Albums of the Year! ✨@cmatbaby @ejthackray @FKAtwigs @fontainesdublin
Jacob Alon@_joe_webb_
Martin Carthy@PA_SALIEU_ @pinkpantheress2 @welovepulp @samfendermusic @wolfalicemusic #MercuryPrize pic.twitter.com/196BzRI7nj
— Mercury Prize (@MercuryPrize) September 10, 2025

Who are the 2025 Mercury Prize nominees?

CMAT - EURO-COUNTRY
Emma-Jean - Thackray Weirdo
FKA twigs - EUSEXUA
Fontaines D.C. - 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

The 2025 Mercury Prize albums of the Year. Picture: Press

Earlier this year, The Mercury Prize has announced its ceremony date and new host city for 2025, Newcastle, in partnership with Newcastle City Council and The North East Combined Authority.

The award show take place on Thursday 16th October at the Newcastle Utilita Arena and will feature live performances from many of the twelve shortlisted artists with the evening culminating in the crowning of the overall winner and a live encore.

Remaining tickets to the ceremony are available to buy here.

To celebrate the event Generator - the North’s leading music development agency and Lead Industry Partner for the Mercury Prize - will coordinate a dynamic, week-long regional fringe programme in the lead up to the awards, "celebrating the depth and diversity of Northern talent while creating new opportunities for local artists, venues, and communities".

Read more:

Each year, the shortlist is curated by an independent judging panel of music industry professionals who are eternally passionate about spotlighting artistic achievement across a range of genres.

The 2025 Mercury Prize judges are*:

Danielle Perry – Broadcaster & Writer
Jamie Cullum - Musician & Broadcaster
Jamz Supernova – Broadcaster & DJ
Jeff Smith - 6 Music Broadcaster and DJ
Lea Stonhill – Music Programming Consultant
Mistajam - Songwriter, DJ & Broadcaster
Phil Alexander – Creative Director, Kerrang!/Contributing Editor, Mojo
Sian Eleri – Radio 1 Broadcaster & DJ
Will Hodgkinson - Chief Rock & Pop Critic, The Times
Sophie Williams – Music Writer & Broadcaster

*The Chair of the judging panel is Jeff Smith, Head of Music, 6 Music & Radio 2

Last year saw English Teacher take home the 2024 Mercury Prize for their debut album This Could Be Texas.

The Leeds band - comprised of Lily Fontaine, Lewis Whiting, Douglas Frost and Nicholas Eden - who formed in 2020 beat out stiff competition from the likes of Charli XCX's BRAT, Barry Can't Swim' When Will We Land? and The Last Dinner Party's Prelude To Ecstasy.