The 2022 Mercury Prize with FREE NOW judges are:
Anna Calvi: musician and songwriter
Annie MacManus: broadcaster and DJ
Danielle Perry: broadcaster and writer
Hazel Wilde (from Lanterns on the Lake): musician and songwriter
Jamie Cullum: musician and broadcaster
Jamz Supernova: broadcaster and DJ
Jeff Smith: head of music, 6 Music and Radio 2
Lea Stonhill: music programmer, Radio X
Loyle Carner: musician and songwriter
Phil Alexander: creative director, Kerrang! / contributing editor, Mojo
Tshepo Mokoena: music writer and author
Will Hodgkinson: chief rock and pop critic, The Times
The Chair of the judging panel is Jeff Smith.
“Getting down to 12 albums this year was not easy, simply because there were so many remarkable ones to choose from,” said the judges in a joint statement.
“That serves as proof that British and Irish music thrives during unsettled periods in history, with the albums chosen covering everything from imaginative pop to pioneering rap to Cornish language folk-rock.
“We feel that these 12 amazing albums each have something to say artistically and socially, all in their own unique, enriching ways. Now comes the really hard part... choosing only one overall winner.”
The 2022 Awards Show will take place on Thursday 8 September at the Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith.
The event will feature live performances from many of the shortlisted artists and the evening will culminate in the announcement of the overall winner of the 2022 Mercury Prize with FREE NOW ‘Album of the Year’.
The Prize’s broadcast partner, BBC Music, will be providing coverage of the event across BBC TV, BBC Radio 6 Music, online and social media.
FREE NOW, the Mobility Super App, is the new headline sponsor of the Mercury Prize. The sponsorship is part of a multi-year commitment from FREE NOW to support British music.
Amazon Music is the digital music partner of the 2022 Mercury Prize. The music streaming service will be supporting the Mercury Prize shortlisted artists with playlists and programming from the launch of the shortlist until the Awards Show.
British audio brand Bowers & Wilkins continues as the official audio partner of the Mercury Prize.