Pulp‘s Jarvis Cocker will be among the judges for this year’s Mercury Prize.
The annual prize, won last year by Benjamin Clementine for his album ‘At Least For Now’, will be held on September 15 this year.
Celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2016, a number of new judges for the prize have been announced today (May 9) with Cocker joined on the panel by Wolf Alice’s Ellie Rowsell.
Now sponsored by Hyundai, the Mercury Prize ‘2016 Albums of the Year’ will be revealed at a launch event on August 4 and broadcast live on BBC Radio 6 Music. The event will be immediately followed by an online poll, which will enable music fans to select the first of six 2016 finalists from the twelve albums. The shortlist, five remaining finalists and overall winner will all be chosen by the expert Mercury Prize Judging Panel, which bases its decisions solely on artistic merit. All six finalists and the overall winner will be announced as part of the 2016 Awards Show in September.
Jenn FiveJoining former Mercury Prize winner Cocker among the new faces on this year’s panel will be musicians Kate Tempest and Jamie Cullum, Ellie Rowsell from Wolf Alice, producer Naughty Boy and broadcaster Annie Mac. The full Judging Panel lineup will be announced in the coming weeks.
This year’s Mercury Prize Show will take place at Hammermsith’s Eventim Apollo for the first time and will feature live performances from nominated acts plus a special collaboration to mark the Prize’s 25th anniversary. BBC Music will be providing live television and radio coverage of the event on BBC Four and 6 Music.
Bookmakers offered odds on the 2016 prize immediately after last year’s ceremony with The Last Shadow Puppets, David Bowie, Radiohead and Savages among their tips alongside the more ambitious suggestions of Oasis and Stone Roses.
Mercury Prize 2016 odds:
Villagers (10/1)
Bloc Party (10/1)
Metronomy (10/1)
The xx (10/1)
Savages (10/1)
The Last Shadow Puppets (10/1)
David Bowie (12/1)
Radiohead (12/1)
The Stone Roses (12/1)
Turin Brakes (12/1)
Daughter (14/1)
Gorillaz (14/1)
Suede (16/1)
Field Music (16/1)
Mystery Jets (20/1)
Money (20/1)
Foxes (20/1)
Oasis (20/1)