Raye wins Mercury Prize 2026 for This Music May Contain Hope, beating Paul McCartney and Dave

Raye has won the 2026 Mercury Prize for her second album, This Music May Contain Hope, beating a shortlist that included Sir Paul McCartney, Dave, Olivia Dean, Jade, Florence + the Machine and Suede. The award was announced at a ceremony in Newcastle on Thursday 22 October, which ended in the early hours of Friday in Pakistan, ITV News reported.

The prize is worth £25,000 plus a trophy, about Rs 9.3 million at Friday's sterling rate (see our pound to rupee page or the currency converter).

The album that won

This Music May Contain Hope came out in March and went straight to number one in the UK album chart. Its singles include:

• Click Clack Symphony, recorded with film composer Hans Zimmer
• I Know You're Hurting
• Nightingale Lane
• Where Is My Husband!

Variety and Billboard also reported the win.

Who else was on the shortlist

Twelve albums were shortlisted. Among the names Raye beat:

What the Mercury Prize is

The prize was set up in 1992 and goes each year to the best album by a UK or Irish artist, judged on the music rather than sales. Newcastle hosted the ceremony for the second year running. Last year's winner was Sam Fender, for his third album, People Watching.

The Mercury is judged by a panel of musicians, broadcasters and critics, and a win usually brings a sales lift for the album in the weeks that follow. This Music May Contain Hope is on all the major streaming services available in Pakistan, including Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube Music.