Is the Mercury Prize rigged? The shocking London bias behind the UK’s top music award
For decades, the Mercury Prize has been hailed as the UK music industry’s most prestigious and unpredictable accolade, a celebration of artistic merit over commercial success. Yet, as the glittering ceremony prepares to descend upon Newcastle for the first time in its history, a pressing question echoes from the streets of Glasgow to the shores of Cardiff: is the prize truly for the whole of the United Kingdom, or is it largely a London affair wearing a national disguise?
A deep dive into the data reveals a stark geographical imbalance that challenges the award’s inclusive ethos. An exclusive analysis of the prize’s 34-year history shows that artists based in London have secured a staggering 17 wins—more than all other UK regions combined. To put that into perspective, only three winners since 2010 have hailed from outside the capital, with a near-decade-long London winning streak between 2014 and 2023 only broken by Leeds band English Teacher’s victory last year.
The shortlist tells a similar story. While the 2025 nominations are being praised for their regional diversity, history paints a different picture. In 2023, a shocking nine of the twelve shortlisted acts were from London, with only four UK regions represented in total. The 2024 list showed only marginal improvement. This pattern suggests that while the Mercury Prize occasionally ventures beyond the M25 for its ceremony, its heart remains firmly in the capital.
A Voice from the North: “It’s Surprising”
Hazel Wilde, vocalist for the Newcastle-based rock band Lanterns on the Lake, experienced this disparity firsthand. In 2020, her band was the only shortlisted act from outside southern England.
“We were, of course, thrilled to be nominated,” Wilde recalls. “And there’s a beautiful symmetry in the ceremony finally coming to our home city now. But at the time, we found it surprising that we were the lone voice from the regions. The Mercury has always positioned itself as the alternative to the major-label, London-centric machine of the Brits. It’s supposed to be all about the album, pure and simple. But when the shortlists are so geographically narrow, people rightly start to wonder if it’s slipping into that same world—perhaps because those are the artists who can most easily navigate the industry’s centralised infrastructure.”
Wilde’s sentiment touches on a deeper economic reality. The concentration of record labels, PR firms, and media outlets in London creates a gravitational pull that can make it harder for exceptional talent based in Manchester, Belfast, or Bristol to gain the same level of consistent visibility.
The “Final Dust of Empire” in Music
The issue extends beyond English regions to the other nations of the UK. To date, only three winners have come from outside England: Scotland’s Primal Scream and Franz Ferdinand, and Young Fathers from Edinburgh. Wales and Northern Ireland have yet to see an artist from their shores claim the iconic trophy.
Gwenno, the Cardiff-born artist nominated in 2022 for her visionary album sung entirely in Cornish, offers a poignant political and cultural critique.
“The UK is the most centralised political system in Europe, and everything we do is influenced by that, sadly—including our music industry,” she states. “It’s a structural issue. But I am profoundly confident in the innate abilities of all the nations within the UK to produce incredible, groundbreaking music. We have a wealth of linguistic and cultural diversity that is a fertile ground for artistry. I see this moment as an opportunity—a chance for us as music fans, creators, and celebrators to work together in a more progressive way. It’s about sweeping away what I see as the final dust of Empire in our cultural institutions and building something truly representative.”
The decision to host the ceremony in Newcastle is a step in the right direction, a symbolic gesture that acknowledges the wealth of talent beyond the capital. But symbolism must be followed by systemic change. For the Mercury Prize to truly uphold its reputation as the definitive award for the best British and Irish music, its judging panels must actively seek out and champion the vibrant, varied, and often overlooked sounds from every corner of the land. The nation is listening, and it’s ready for a more inclusive playlist.
FAQ
Q1: What is the main criticism against the Mercury Prize in this article?
The article argues that the Mercury Prize has a significant London bias, with artists from the capital winning more than all other UK regions combined and frequently dominating the shortlists, underrepresenting talent from other parts of the UK.
Q2: How many Mercury Prize winners have been from London?
There have been 17 winners from London in the prize’s history, which is more than the total number of winners from all other regions and nations of the UK.
Q3: Which band broke London’s winning streak from 2014-2023?
Leeds band English Teacher broke the streak by winning the prize in 2024.
Q4: What did Hazel Wilde of Lanterns on the Lake say about their nomination?
She said that while they were thrilled to be nominated in 2020, it was “surprising” that they were the only shortlisted act from outside southern England, hinting that the prize may be becoming too London-centric.
Q5: Has an artist from Wales or Northern Ireland ever won the Mercury Prize?
No. To date, no artist from Wales or Northern Ireland has ever won the Mercury Prize.
Q6: What solution does artist Gwenno suggest?
Gwenno suggests that the UK’s highly centralized political system is to blame and calls for a more progressive, collaborative effort to celebrate music from all nations of the UK, moving beyond the “final dust of Empire.”