A formidable array of chart-topping A-listers feature in a competitive shortlist for the 2026 Mercury prize, the prestigious award that honours the best album of the year by a British or Irish artist.
Paul McCartney's first nomination
Despite the prize's history stretching back to 1992, Paul McCartney gets his first ever nomination this year, for his album The Boys of Dungeon Lane, a hugely affecting look back at his Liverpool childhood and his burgeoning friendships with his Beatles bandmates.
Speaking to the Guardian as the album was released in May, McCartney said he felt the presence of John Lennon when writing it. “My collaborator was probably one of the best writers of the century, so, yeah, you’re going to miss him. But when I write [about a specific place], I kind of know he would’ve known it. I can gauge his reaction: that’s good, stick that in.”
Strong competition
McCartney is up against Olivia Dean, whose album The Art of Loving swept the board at the Brit awards this year and has spent all but one of its 43 weeks since release in the UK Top 5, eight of them at No 1. Raye is nominated for This Music May Contain Hope, her second album in a row to be nominated. Rapper Dave, who won the Mercury prize with his debut Psychodrama in 2019, is nominated for The Boy Who Played the Harp, containing the global smash Raindance. Florence + the Machine earns her fourth Mercury nomination for Everybody Scream. A rare compilation album, Help(2), recorded at Abbey Road to raise money for War Child, is also nominated. Suede are nominated for Antidepressants, their first nomination since 1997.
Lesser-known artists
Less well-known nominees include Dove Ellis for Blizzard, jazz outfit Knats for A Great Day in Newcastle, Kojey Radical for Don't Look Down, and Nia Archives for Emotional Junglist. Notable snubs include Lily Allen's West End Girl, Harry Styles, and Charli xcx's Wuthering Heights soundtrack.
The prize will be awarded at Newcastle's Utilita Arena on 22 October, decided by an 11-strong panel of experts.
