Raye won the 2026 Mercury Prize on Thursday night for her second studio album, This Music May Contain Hope, taking the top honor at the awards ceremony at Utilita Arena in Newcastle. The British singer-songwriter beat a 12-album shortlist that included releases by Paul McCartney, Olivia Dean, Dave, Florence + The Machine, Suede and several other acts from the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The Mercury Prize judges praised the 73-minute album for its “scale, structure, ambition and sheer charm.” Reuters reported that the record moves through jazz, orchestral pop, funk and other styles while maintaining a broad concept centered on hope.
This Music May Contain Hope was released in March 2026 through Human Re Sources and debuted at No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart. The Mercury Prize’s official shortlist page identifies “Where Is My Husband!,” “Nightingale Lane,” “Click Clack Symphony,” featuring Hans Zimmer, and “I Know You’re Hurting” among the album’s singles.
The record contains 17 tracks and is arranged in four thematic sections. Its long running time and shifting styles make it a notably expansive pop release at a time when streaming has often favored shorter songs and albums.
Raye’s victory came three years after her debut album, My 21st Century Blues, was shortlisted for the 2023 Mercury Prize. That album later became closely associated with a major awards breakthrough for the singer, who won six Brit Awards in 2024.
Accepting the Mercury Prize in Newcastle, Raye spoke about the role hope played in creating the album. Reuters reported that she described hope as a word that can sound overly simple, but said music can help people through difficult periods.
The winner receives £25,000 along with the Mercury Prize trophy. The award, first presented in 1992, is designed to recognize an outstanding album by a British or Irish artist without separating entries by musical genre.
The Mercury Prize says more than 200 albums are typically entered each year. For the 2026 prize, eligible albums had to be released between August 30, 2025, and July 17, 2026. An independent judging panel selected the 12 albums that advanced to the final shortlist.
This year’s shortlist included Dave’s The Boy Who Played the Harp, Dove Ellis’ Blizzard, Florence + The Machine’s Everybody Scream, JADE’s That’s Showbiz Baby!, Knats’ A Great Day In Newcastle and Kojey Radical’s Don’t Look Down. Nia Archives was nominated for Emotional Junglist, Olivia Dean for The Art of Loving, McCartney for The Boys of Dungeon Lane, Suede for Antidepressants and War Child Records for HELP(2).
McCartney’s nomination was the first Mercury Prize shortlist appearance of his solo career. His album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane, was released in May and reached No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart. The nomination placed the former Beatle alongside artists from several generations and musical styles.
The Newcastle ceremony featured live performances from most of the shortlisted artists. The Mercury Prize had announced that Raye, Dove Ellis, Florence + The Machine, JADE, Knats, Kojey Radical, Nia Archives, Olivia Dean and Suede would perform, while Pulp appeared on behalf of the War Child Records compilation HELP(2). Short films represented the nominated albums by Dave and McCartney.
The show was hosted by BBC broadcaster Lauren Laverne and was carried by BBC Four and BBC Radio 6 Music. Newcastle hosted the ceremony for a second consecutive year after becoming the first city outside London to stage the event in 2025.
Last year’s prize went to Sam Fender for People Watching. His victory came during the first Newcastle ceremony, giving the event a local winner during its move away from London.
The 2026 judging panel included musicians, broadcasters, journalists and music-industry professionals. Jeff Smith, head of music at BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 6 Music, chaired the panel. Other judges included Afrodeutsche, Danielle Perry, Jamie Cullum, Lea Stonhill, MistaJam, Phil Alexander, Sian Eleri, Sophie Williams and Will Hodgkinson.
The Mercury Prize says the same independent panel that chooses the shortlist meets again on the day of the ceremony to select the overall winner. Its rules state that the decision is based on the quality of the music rather than commercial success, and judging discussions are kept confidential.
That process put Raye at the top of a shortlist containing established stars, newer performers and a charity compilation. The selection also gave her a Mercury victory after her earlier nomination in 2023 ended with Ezra Collective winning for Where I’m Meant to Be.
Raye’s career had already changed sharply by the time of this year’s ceremony. My 21st Century Blues established her as an independent album artist, while This Music May Contain Hope expanded her use of jazz, soul, orchestration and pop songwriting across a much larger musical canvas.
The 2026 ceremony also kept Newcastle at the center of the Mercury Prize for another year. The city hosted the awards through a partnership between the prize and Newcastle City Council, with related events held around the main show as part of Mercury Prize week.
For Raye, the night ended with recognition for a record built around stylistic variety and a recurring theme of hope. The award places This Music May Contain Hope among the albums selected by Mercury judges as defining releases in British and Irish music.