RAYE has won the 2026 Mercury Prize for her second album, This Music May Contain Hope, adding another huge award to what has already been an incredible few years for the British singer. The winner was announced at the Mercury Prize ceremony at Newcastle’s Utilita Arena on Thursday 22 October, with RAYE beating a shortlist that included Olivia Dean, Paul McCartney, JADE, Dave, Florence + The Machine and Suede. It marks her first Mercury Prize win after her debut album, My 21st Century Blues, was nominated in 2023.

The award recognises the best British or Irish album of the year and comes with a £25,000 prize. The judging panel praised the “scale, structure, ambition and sheer charm” of RAYE’s album, saying she showed “real imagination and scope” across the record.

RAYE Wins for This Music May Contain Hope

Released in March, This Music May Contain Hope became RAYE’s second major album release following the success of My 21st Century Blues. The 17-track record runs for more than 70 minutes and moves through big band jazz, pop, soul, funk and balladry, with more than 100 musicians involved across the album.

It also includes “Where Is My Husband!”, which went on to become another major hit for RAYE, reaching number one in the UK. The album itself also topped the UK Albums Chart, continuing a run that has seen her become one of the country’s biggest artists after previously speaking openly about the difficulties she faced trying to release a debut album under her former label.

Accepting the Mercury Prize, RAYE said she was “shaking” and “grateful” as she collected the award. She also spoke about how important albums are to her and reflected on coming from a period in her career where so much of the focus had been placed on singles.

Hope is also at the heart of the album, with RAYE explaining during her acceptance speech that although it can feel like a “cheesy word”, it is something everyone needs.

Who Else Was Nominated for the Mercury Prize 2026?

RAYE faced a seriously strong shortlist this year. Olivia Dean was nominated for The Art of Loving, while Paul McCartney received his first Mercury Prize nomination for The Boys of Dungeon Lane. JADE made the shortlist with That’s Showbiz, Baby!, alongside Dave’s The Boy Who Played the Harp, Florence + The Machine’s Everybody Scream and Suede’s Antidepressants.

The remaining nominees were Dove Ellis with Blizzard, Knats with A Great Day in Newcastle, Kojey Radical with Don’t Look Down, Nia Archives with Emotional Junglist and the War Child compilation Help(2).

RAYE also took to the stage during the ceremony to perform “I Hate The Way I Look Today”, while Suede, Florence + The Machine, Knats and several of the other shortlisted artists performed across the night. Pulp also appeared representing the Help(2) charity album.

Last year’s Mercury Prize was won by Sam Fender for People Watching, with the award returning to Newcastle again for 2026.

For CultureCues, this one feels very deserved. RAYE has had such an incredible few years, and watching everything that has happened since she finally got to release music on her own terms has been brilliant. This Music May Contain Hope is a huge, ambitious album and she has clearly put everything into it, so seeing her add a Mercury Prize to the collection feels like another massive moment. At this rate, RAYE is going to need a bigger shelf.

RAYE is the winner of the 2026 Mercury Prize for This Music May Contain Hope.