The U.K.’s Mercury Prize will return to Newcastle upon Tyne for its upcoming 2026 ceremony. The annual music prize, which recognizes outstanding albums released by U.K. and Irish musicians, will take place at the English city’s Utilita Arena for a second consecutive year on Oct. 22.
Since its inception in 1992, the ceremony was held in London at a variety of venues including the Eventim Apollo and Abbey Road Studios. In 2025, the decision was taken to move the event outside of the English capital for the first time.
The 2025 prize was won by Sam Fender for his third LP, People Watching. Fender, who was born and raised in nearby North Shields and shares a strong bond with the city, was considered a frontrunner for the prize. He saw off competition from Wolf Alice, Pulp, Fontaines D.C. and more to earn the trophy for the first time in his career. Other recent winners include English Teacher (2024), Ezra Collective (2023), Little Simz (2022) and Arlo Parks (2021).
In addition to 2025’s main show, a number of fringe events were held in the city and the North East to bring events and talks to the region. The BPI reports that attendees brought a combined spend of £874,724 ($1,187,599.65 US) and added an estimated £552,868 GVA (gross value added) ($750,686.93 US) to the region.
Following suit, the 2026 BRIT Awards will also be held outside of London for the first-time in its history next Saturday (Feb. 28) at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena. For the past decade, The MOBOs (Music of Black Origin) has travelled through a number of U.K. cities including Newcastle, Leeds, Glasgow and Sheffield. Their 2026 ceremony will also take place at Manchester’s Co-op Live.
“Last year’s Mercury Prize and its brilliant performances and Fringe gave the region a £1.4m economic and cultural boost and the whole of Newcastle came together to give the event a warm, big Geordie hug. We are delighted to see the Prize return to the Toon and to the North-East for what we know will be another memorable occasion for artists and fans,” Dr. Jo Twist OBE, BPI chief executive, and YolanDa Brown OBE, artist and BPI chair said in a joint statement.
They continued, “We thank Newcastle City Council and all our valued partners for their continued collaboration and commitment, and we can’t wait for what is already shaping up to be another fantastic year of British and Irish music.”
Nominees for the prize are traditionally announced in September following the close of the eligibility window at the end of August.
