Sam Fender donates Mercury Prize winnings to UK grassroots venues

Tuesday, November 11, 2025 at 10:48 AM

Sam Fender is donating his Mercury Prize winnings to the Music Venue Trust charity, which supports U.K. grassroots venues. The Mercury Prize, which recognizes the year's best album from a U.K. or Irish artist, comes with a monetary award of £25,000, or about $33,000. Fender [...]

Sam Fender is donating his Mercury Prize winnings to the Music Venue Trust charity, which supports U.K. grassroots venues.

The Mercury Prize, which recognizes the year's best album from a U.K. or Irish artist, comes with a monetary award of £25,000, or about $33,000. Fender won the 2025 Mercury Prize with his album People Watching.

"I wouldn't be doing what I am doing today if it wasn't for all the gigs I played around the North East, and beyond, when I was starting out," Fender says in a press statement. "These venues are legendary, but they are struggling."

"This is an incredible gesture by Sam, demonstrating once again that artists absolutely understand how vital Grassroots Music Venues are to their careers and to their communities," adds Music Venue Trust CEO Mark Davyd. "We are honored to accept this donation and will ensure every penny of it makes a direct difference to the campaign to keep live music at the heart of our towns and cities."

For more info, visit MusicVenueTrust.com.

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