The Mercury Prize has long stood as one of the most respected honors in British and Irish music — a celebration of creativity, innovation, and artistic integrity. Since its inception in 1992, the annual award has recognized the best album of the year, chosen purely on merit rather than commercial success.
Over the decades, the Mercury Prize has crowned artists across every genre imaginable — from the euphoric dance-rock of Primal Scream’s Screamadelica to the introspective storytelling of Sam Fender’s People Watching, the 2025 winner. The award has often served as both a launchpad and a legacy-maker, giving voice to rising talents and reaffirming the influence of established icons.
Past winners read like a timeline of British musical evolution: Portishead’s Dummy defined the trip-hop era; Dizzee Rascal’s Boy in Da Corner reshaped the sound of grime; and Arctic Monkeys’ Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not captured a generation in motion. Artists like PJ Harvey, who remains the only musician to win twice, and recent victors like Little Simz and Ezra Collective, prove how the Mercury Prize continues to evolve with the culture it represents.
Now in its thirty-fourth year, the Mercury Prize remains a cultural touchstone — one that spotlights albums that move listeners and challenge conventions. Below is a full list of every Mercury Prize winner from 1992 to 2025.
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1992: Screamadelica by Primal Scream
1993: Suede by Suede
1994: Elegant Slumming by M People
1995: Dummy by Portishead
1996: Different Class by Pulp
1997: New Forms by Roni Size/Reprazent
1998: Bring It On by Gomez
1999: Ok by Talvin Singh
2000: The Hour of the Bewilderbeaast by Badly Drawn Boy
2001: Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea by PJ Harvey
2002: A Little Deeper by Ms. Dynamite
2003: Boy in Da Corner by Dizzee Rascal
2004: Franz Ferdinand by Franz Ferdinand
2005: I Am a Bird Now by Antony and the Jhonsons
2006: Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not by Arctic Monkeys
2007: Myths of the Near Future by Klaxons
2008: The Seldom Seen Kid by Elbow
2009: Speech Therapy by Speech Debelle
2010: xx by The xx
2011: Let England Shake by PJ Harvey
2012: An Awesome Wave by Alt-J
2013: Overgrown by James Blake
2014: Dead by Young Fathers
2015: At Least For Now by Benjamin Clementine
2016: Konnichiwa by Skepta
2017: Process by Sampha
2018: Visions of a Life by Wolf Alice
2019: Psychodrama by Dave
2020: Kiwanuka by Michael Kiwanuka
2021: Collapsed In Sunbeams by Arlo Parks
2022: Sometimes I Might Be Introvert by Little Simz
2023: Where I’m Meant To Be by Ezra Collective
2024: This Could Be Texas by English Teacher
2025: People Watching by Sam Fender
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