RAYE Wins 2026 Mercury Prize With ‘This Music May Contain Hope’
Billboard · · g2155472
The prize was presented in Newcastle, England, on Thursday evening (Oct. 22).
RAYE has won the Mercury Prize for her second album This Music May Contain Hope .
The annual trophy was presented at a ceremony at the Utilita Arena in Newcastle, England, on Thursday evening (Oct. 22) It’s the first time that RAYE has won the prize; her 2023 album My 21st Century Blues was also nominated. RAYE is the first female solo artist to take the award since Little Simz won in 2022 with Sometimes I Might Be an Introvert .
She was up against Olivia Dean for her chart-topping The Art of Loving , and Paul McCartney for his 20th solo studio album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane . It’s the first time that the latter has been nominated for the prize in his storied career.
The shortlist was completed by Dave’s The Boy Who Played The Harp ; Florence + The Machine’s Everybody Scream ; Dove Ellis’ Blizzard ; JADE’s THAT’S SHOWBIZ BABY! ; Knats’ A Great Day In Newcastle ; Kojey Radical’s Don’t Look Down ; Nia Archives’ Emotional Junglist ; Suede’s Antidepressants ; and War Child compilation HELP(2) .
All nominated artists aside from Dave and McCartney performed live during the ceremony. The ceremony was hosted by BBC Radio 6 Music DJ Lauren Laverne, and the winner announced by BBC Radio 1 DJ Sian Eleri.
Celebrating the work of both esteemed and emerging artists from U.K and Ireland, the Mercury Prize is awarded annually and recognizes artistic achievement in LPs across a range of genres. Recent winners include Sam Fender (2025), English Teacher (2024), Ezra Collective (2023), Little Simz (2022) and Arlo Parks (2021) The Prize was first awarded in 1992 to Primal Scream for Screamadelica , and winners include collections by Pulp (1996), PJ Harvey (2001, 2011) and Arctic Monkeys (2006).
Albums released between Aug. 30 2025 and July 17, 2026 were eligible for consideration this year. The 12 shortlisted albums were chosen by an independent judging panel chaired by Jeff Smith, head of music, BBC 6 Music & Radio 2.
This year’s committee consisted of: Afrodeutsche – composer & DJ; Danielle Perry – broadcaster & writer; Jamie Cullum – musician & broadcaster; Lea Stonhill – music programming consultant; MistaJam – songwriter, DJ & broadcaster; Phil Alexander – creative director, Kerrang!/contributing editor, Mojo; Sian Eleri – broadcaster & DJ; Will Hodgkinson – chief rock & pop critic, The Times ; and Sophie Williams – writer & broadcaster, including for Billboard UK .