Published: 13:29, September 11, 2025
Pulp, Wolf Alice and CMAT among 2025 Mercury Prize nominees
By Reuters
Jarvis Cocker lead singer of British band Pulp performs on the Pyramid stage on the fourth day of the Glastonbury festival at Worthy Farm in the village of Pilton in Somerset, south-west England, on June 28, 2025. (PHOTO / AFP)

LONDON - Bands Pulp and Wolf Alice as well as singers FKA Twigs, CMAT and Sam Fender are among the nominees for the 2025 Mercury Prize, a British music award, organizers said on Wednesday.

First handed out to rockers Primal Scream in 1992, the annual 25,000 pounds ($34,000) prize shortlists 12 albums released by British and Irish acts in the United Kingdom in the past year.

Considered less mainstream than Britain's pop music honors the BRIT Awards, the Mercury Prize is open to all music genres.

Rock band Wolf Alice, who previously won the award in 2018, secured a nod for The Clearing, becoming the first act to be nominated for all of their first four albums.

Fellow past winners Pulp were nominated for More, their first album in 21 years.

Lead singer Ellie Rowsell of British band Wolf Alice perform on the Other Stage on the final day of the Glastonbury festival at Worthy Farm in the village of Pilton in Somerset, south-west England, on June 29, 2025. (PHOTO / AFP)

Joining the list are Irish post-punk group Fontaines D.C., in the running for its fourth album Romance, and singers FKA Twigs and Sam Fender, who received nods for their respective third studio albums Eusexua and People Watching.

Rapper Pa Salieu was recognized for mixtape Afrikan Alien, as were jazz pianist Joe Webb for Hamstrings & Hurricanes and folk singer and guitarist Martin Carthy for Transform Me Then Into A Fish, who at 84 becomes the oldest ever Mercury Prize nominee.

Fellow contenders include PinkPantheress' mixtape Fancy That, singer Jacob Along's In Limerence and musician and DJ Emma-Jean Thackray's Weirdo. Irish musician CMAT's third studio album CMAT completes the list.

FKA twigs performs during Pandora's Talisman Collection Launch on Sept 8, 2025 in New York City. (PHOTO / AFP)
Sam Fender performs at the Mojave Tent during the 2025 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at Empire Polo Club on April 12, 2025 in Indio, California. (PHOTO / AFP)

"I think it is fantastic to see such an eclectic mix of genres, but also the diversity of artists, including careers that spanned decades to artists who are emerging," Jo Twist, CEO of the British Phonographic Industry, the body behind the Mercury Prize, told Reuters of the nominees.

This year's ceremony will for the first time take place outside of London. It will be held on Oct 16 at the Utilia Arena in Newcastle.

Rock band English Teacher won the prize last year for debut album This Could Be Texas, beating the likes of singer-songwriter Charli XCX and rapper Ghetts.