Sam Fender was announced tonight, Thursday 16th October, as the overall winner of the 2025 Mercury Prize for his album ‘People Watching’.
Broadcaster Lauren Laverne hosted the 2025 Mercury Prize ‘Albums of The Year’ ceremony live from Newcastle’s Utilita Arena, marking the first time the prestigious awards show has been held outside of London. A delighted Sam Fender received the trophy from Broadcaster & DJ Sian Eleri - presenting on behalf of the judging team - before performing the title track ‘People Watching’ from his winning album to a standing ovation.
The judging panel said: ‘This year proved that the album remains the format of choice for artists to best present a body of work. That, however, made our job as judges of the 2025 Mercury Prize for Album of the Year is more challenging than ever. All 12 records on the shortlist worked so well on their own terms, ranging from ancient ballads to futuristic electronics. After much discussion, however, we all decided on one album that stood out for its cohesion, character and ambition. It felt like a classic album, which will take pride of place in record collections for years to come. ‘People Watching’ by Sam Fender is both melody-rich and expansive, marrying heartland rock with the realities of everyday life and the importance of community. These are thoughtful songs with broad appeal, as cinematic as they are intimate, making ‘People Watching’ a worthy winner of the 2025 Mercury Prize for Album of the Year.
The Awards Show featured live performances from many of the twelve shortlisted artists, including Emma-Jean Thackray, FKA twigs, Jacob Alon, Joe Webb, Martin Carthy, Pa Salieu, Pulp, Sam Fender and Wolf Alice, who each played one track from their shortlisted album. The Prize’s broadcast partner BBC Music provided coverage of the event with Deb Grant and Nathan Shepherd broadcasting live from Newcastle on BBC Radio 6 Music and BBC Sounds, while BBC Four and BBC iPlayer showed the Awards Show from 9.30pm.
The move to Newcastle, in partnership with Newcastle City Council and The North East Combined Authority, signals a new dawn for the prestigious Prize, with the Awards Show proving to be another fantastic night celebrating the best British and Irish music of the year.
This year’s ceremony came at the end of an unprecedented week of celebrations in and around host city Newcastle. Powered by Generator - the North’s leading music development agency - the Mercury Prize Newcastle Fringe was a bold, region-wide celebration to bring the North East’s phenomenal music scene and iconic venues alive like never before. Running from Thursday 9th to Wednesday 15th October, the Mercury Fringe saw the region filled with live music, creative energy and new opportunities to not only showcase the North East’s incredible talent but to engage everyone; from local schools and music hubs to emerging artists, talent networks, established musicians, cultural organisations and music lovers eager to discover something new. Events included live gigs curated alongside local promoters, genre-spanning workshops and roundtables, a major industry conference, and intimate conversations with some of the UK’s most exciting and influential artists.
The Mercury Prize recognises the best new British & Irish music, celebrating artistic achievement across an eclectic range of contemporary music genres. As an independent arts prize, it champions the album format, acts as a snapshot of the year in music and often provides a major platform for up and coming artists and their musical work. The Prize has been an important milestone in many artists’ journeys, providing a stepping stone to wider success in the UK and Ireland as well as internationally.
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 (Absolute Radio/Jazz FM) & musician; Jamie Cullum - Musician & Radio 2 Broadcaster; Jamz Supernova – 6 Music Broadcaster and DJ; Jeff Smith - Head of Music, Radio 2 & Radio 6 Music; 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 team is Jeff Smith.
The 2025 Mercury Prize 12 ‘Albums of the Year’ are:
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’
An exciting array of partner activity also took place this week, including from LNER (London North Eastern Railway), the Official Travel Partner of the Mercury Prize, who carried many of the shortlisted artists and judges to the 2025 Award Show as the brand continues to champion the unique connection that travel has with music and culture. Adidas celebrated the shortlist with a Mercury Prize themed display in END. on Grey Street in the city centre and Newcastle’s flagship department store, Fenwick, showcased the 12 ‘Albums of the Year’ in store and hosted live music performances and creative workshops in-store during the Mercury Fringe.
As part of its ongoing commitment to supporting UK recorded music, renowned British premium audio brand, Bowers & Wilkins, continued as long-term official audio partner of the Mercury Prize. At the forefront of music creation for over 40 years, it is uniquely placed to help the Mercury Prize celebrate the album format and the creative achievements of the 12 artists.