Judging panel and hosts unveiled for Mercury Prize 2025

In just six weeks time (!), the prestigious Mercury Prize will be heading up to Newcastle for its 2025 edition - the first time in the Prize’s history that the award ceremony has been hosted outside London. Now, organisers have shared details of who will be involved in the judging process and on hosting duties this year. 

The Mercury Prize shortlist is always curated by an independent panel of professionals, who between them come from different corners of the industry and represent a range of different genres. Chaired by BBC Radio 2 and Radio 6 Music’s Jeff Smith, this year’s panel includes the likes of musician and broadcaster Jamie Cullum, presenter Jamz Supernova, DJ Sian Eleri, writer Sophie Williams, and more. 

Beloved radio DJ and North East native Lauren Laverne, meanwhile, will be hosting the event, which is set to take place on Thursday 16th October at the city’s Utilita Arena. In a long-overdue move to shine a light on music scenes and communities beyond the capital, the Mercury Prize 2025 has also partnered with music development agency Generator to present the Mercury Prize Newcastle Fringe: a programme of special events running across the North East from 9th to 15th October, including live gigs, workshops, roundtables, and an industry conference. 

Full details of the Mercury Prize Newcastle Fringe programme will be revealed in due course. In the meantime, you can check out the full list of 2025 Mercury Prize judges below.