2016 Mercury Prize announces full Judging Panel

19 July 2016 - Press release

2016 ‘Albums of the Year’ shortlist to be announced at live Launch on 4th August and on BBC Radio 6 Music

Fan poll to choose the first finalist

Remaining five finalists chosen by Hyundai Mercury Prize Judging Panel

Six finalists announced during Awards Show on Thursday 15th September at Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith 

2016 Hyundai Mercury Prize to culminate in live show broadcast on BBC Four and BBC Radio 6 Music 

The 2016 Hyundai Mercury Prize have announced that musician Jessie Ware, Jeff Smith (Head of Music at 6 Music and Radio 2), broadcaster Clara Amfo, Phil Alexander (Editor-in-Chief, Kerrang!, Mojo and Q), Harriet Gibsone Music News Editor at (The Guardian & Guardian.com) and Will Hodgkinson (Chief Rock and Pop Critic at The Times) will join former Mercury Prize winner Jarvis Cocker, musicians Kate Tempest and Jamie Cullum, Ellie Rowsell from Wolf Alice, producer Naughty Boy and broadcaster Annie Mac to complete this year’s judging panel.

The shortlist of 12 ‘Albums of the Year’ will be revealed at a live launch, hosted by BBC 6 Music’s Shaun 

Keaveny, taking place on August 4th. The shortlist will also be revealed live on Lauren Laverne’s show on BBC Radio 6 Music at 11am. The Launch event will be immediately followed by an online poll, which will enable music fans to select the first of six 2016 finalists from the 12 ‘Albums of the Year’. 

The shortlist, five remaining finalists and overall winner will all be chosen by the expert Hyundai Mercury Prize 

Judging Panel, based solely on artistic merit. All six finalists and the overall winner will be announced as part of the 2016 Awards Show, which will take place on Thursday 15th September at the Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith. 

The event will feature live performances, plus a special collaboration to mark the Prize’s 25th Anniversary. The 

evening will culminate in the announcement of the overall winner of the 2016 Hyundai Mercury Prize for ‘Album of the Year’.  For the second year BBC Music will be providing live television and radio coverage of the event on BBC Four and BBC Radio 6 Music.

The 2016 Hyundai Mercury Prize recognises and celebrates UK and Irish ‘Albums of the Year’, establishing a reputation for highlighting the work of both exciting emerging talent and more established bands and artists. The shortlist of 12 ‘Albums of the Year’ is chosen by an independent judging panel and recognises artistic achievement across a range of genres.  Albums by British and Irish artists with a UK release date between 26th September 2015 and 29th July 2016 (inclusive) are eligible for the 2016 Prize.  

Shaun Keaveny said: “Each year the Hyundai Mercury Prize ‘Albums of the Year’ highlight some of the best in British and Irish talent – and 2016 is already shaping up to be a brilliant year for music. It’s going to be a tough decision for the judges, so I’m glad I'm not one of them! I’m really looking forward to finding out this year’s shortlist.”

The full 2016 judging panel is: 

Phil Alexander - Editor-in-Chief, Kerrang!, Mojo and Q

Clara Amfo – Broadcaster

Jarvis Cocker - Musician and Songwriter 

Jamie Cullum - Musician and Broadcaster

Harriet Gibsone - Music News Editor at The Guardian/TheGuardian.com

Will Hodgkinson - Chief Rock & Pop Critic at The Times

Shahid Khan aka Naughty Boy - Musician, Songwriter and Producer

Annie Mac - DJ and Broadcaster 

Ellie Rowsell from Wolf Alice - Musician and Songwriter

Kate Tempest - Musician, Poet and Author 

Jessie Ware - Musician and Songwriter

Jeff Smith - Head of Music, 6 Music and Radio 2 

The judging facilitator is Simon Frith - Professor of Music, Edinburgh University.