00:02Newcastle will host the Mercury Prize again on the 22nd of October, marking the second
00:08consecutive year the ceremony has been staged in the city. Established in 1992, the award
00:14recognises the best album from the United Kingdom and Ireland, and had previously been
00:19held in London until 2025. North Shield singer-songwriter Sam Sender won last year's prize for his
00:26album People Watching, with other shortlisted artists including CMAT, Pulp and Pink Pantheress.
00:32Organisers say the event will once more be delivered in partnership between the BPI,
00:37Newcastle City Council and the regional music development agency Generator.
00:42Council leader Karen Kilgore says the return follows what she described as a successful
00:46first year and reflects confidence in the city's cultural offer. Generator's chief executive
00:51Mick Ross says the associated Mercury Fringe programme will expand, building on a series
00:56of concerts that ran alongside the ceremony last year. The BPI reported the 2025 event generated
01:04an estimated £1.4 million in an economic and cultural boost for the city. The ceremony will
01:11again bring artists, industry figures and audiences to venues across Newcastle and the wider North East.
01:18Organisers say further details about the host venue, ticket arrangements for those who want to attend
01:23and fringe events will be announced in the coming months.
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