• Shortlists for NI Music Prize 2024 Announced

    September 24, 2024 - By 

    With just over seven weeks to go, the shortlists for the 2024 Northern Ireland Music Prize have been revealed. A year on from Arborist scooping the main Album of the Year prize,  it’s another strong, genre-spanning showing across the board for what is – give or take a few elements – essentially the North’s answer to the Choice/Mercury Prize. As expected, the strongest shortlist of the lot is the Album of the Year Prize, which features some of the island’s very best releases of the last 12 months, including Exmagician’s Sit Tight, Last Immediate Images by Blue Whale (pictured), Blouse…

  • Live Line-up For NI Music Prize Announced

    October 18, 2022 - By 

    The live line-up for this year’s Northern Ireland Music Prize has been revealed. Celebrating the very best of Northern Irish music released over the last 12 months, the annual ceremony returns to Belfast’s Ulster Hall on Wednesday, November 16th. Various artists will compete to walk away with the prestigious Album of the Year prize, as well as Live Act, Video, Single and ATL Artist of the Year. Go here for the shortlists. Performing on the night will be nominated acts SOAK, Cherym, Leo Miyagee, Rory Nellis, and Robocobra Quartet. Also taking to the stage will be Dea Matrona – who won Best Single…

  • Shortlists For Northern Ireland Music Prize Announced

    October 4, 2022 - By 

    The shortlists for this year’s Northern Ireland Music Prize have been announced. At this year’s awards ceremony at Belfast’s Ulster Hall, the following NI acts will vie for Album of the Year, Single of the Year, Video of the Year and Live Act of the Year. Album of the Year And So I Watch You From Afar – Jettison Dark Tropics – Ink Hannah Peel & Paraorchestra – The Unfolding  Invaderband – Peter Gabriel Leo Miyagee – Act III Mob Wife – Eat With Your Eyes  Phil Kieran – Nightride Robocobra Quartet – Living Isn’t Easy Rory Nellis – Written…

  • NI Music Prize Set For Ulster Hall

    October 19, 2021 - By 

    This year’s Northern Ireland Music Prize will return to Belfast’s Ulster Hall next month. Due to COVID-19, last year’s event was broadcast online. Now, due to an easing of restrictions, the annual prize will return to the iconic venue on Wednesday, November 17. “It has been a long and challenging twelve months for musicians,” said Charlotte Dryden of the Oh Yeah Music Centre, organisers of the annual award. “That is why this year is such an important coming together, not just to celebrate the great wealth of talent that has produced world-class records throughout the pandemic, but also to thank and let…

  • Best Album & Single Shortlists for NI Music Prize Revealed

    September 30, 2021 - By 

    The Best Album and Best Single shortlists for this year’s Northern Ireland Music Prize have been revealed. Supported by PPL, the Best Album shortlist includes the likes of This Ship Argo’s Always The Bees: Never The Honey, Fir Wave by Hannah Peel (pictured), Arvo Party’s Inheritiance, Isles by Bicep and Into The Depths of Hell by Joshua Burnside. See the full list below. Andrew McGibbon – Northern Gothic Arvo Party – Inheritance Bicep – Isles CATALAN! – Veritas Dani Larkin – Notes for a Maiden Warrior Hannah Peel – Fir Wave Jealous of the Birds – Peninsula Joshua Burnside –…

  • NI Music Prize Longlist Revealed

    September 13, 2021 - By 

    The longlist for this year’s Northern Ireland Music Prize has been revealed. From the initial eligible list, 55 albums and 91 singles have been longlisted for the Best Album and Best Single prizes.  Among the names longlisted for the former include Bicep, New Pagans, Joshua Burnside, Hannah Peel, Saint Sister, Brién, Son Zept, Arvo Party, Nomadic Rituals, and many more. Check out the full lists here. In a change from previous years, the public are also being invited to vote for one album and single through to the shortlist. More info can be found here. This year’s NI Music Prise takes…

  • One of These Albums Will Win The NI Music Prize Tonight

    November 12, 2020 - By 

    Much like the RTÉ Choice Music Prize every year, the annual Northern Ireland Music Prize is almost always too close to call. This year is no different. Going online for the first time due to social distancing restrictions, this year’s shortlist is a luminous, no-filler reflection of the state of independent music in the North right now. From the Americana-tinged alt-folk of Mark McCambridge aka Arborist to the considered electronica of Phil Kieran; the shapeshifting indie rock of Belfast threesome Careerist, to the ruminative pop of Kitt Philippa, it’s a list that also features stellar albums from Our Krypton Son, Herb…

  • Details of NI Music Prize 2020 Revealed

    October 20, 2020 - By 

    This year’s Northern Ireland Music Prize will go ahead with an online broadcast on November 12. Due to covid-19, the annual award ceremony celebrating Northern Irish music will take place at Belfast’s Oh Yeah Music Centre and streamed live via their YouTube channel. As well as performances from shortlisted acts Arborist, Careerist, Joshua Burnside, Kitt Philippa, Phil Kieran and Sasha Samara, it will feature live announcements for four awards: Best Album, Best Single, Best Live Act and the Oh Yeah Contender Award. The event is scheduled to take place during the Sound of Belfast 2020 virtual festival, which runs November…

  • Submissions Open For NI Music Prize

    July 3, 2020 - By 

    The submission window is once again open for the Northern Ireland Music Prize. With more details to be announced regarding this year’s awards ceremony, insofar as COVID-19 restrictions is concerned, organisers have revealed that the submission window for albums and singles is open from today until Thursday, July 30th. Any eligible NI single or album must have been released between 15th July 2019 – 14th July 2020 As with last year, all eligible submissions will make up single and album longlists, which will then become two separate shortlists following a voting process carried out by various individuals in the Northern…

  • NI Music Prize Winners Announced

    November 11, 2019 - By 

    The winner at this year’s Northern Ireland Music Prize has been announced. Taking place at Belfast’s Ulster on Thursday night, the annual ceremony saw Eoin O’Callaghan Elma Orkestra & Ryan Vail walk away with the main Best Album prize for their collaborative Borders release. As well as performances from Strange New Places, Jordan Adetunji, Saint Sister, O’Callaghan & Vail and Oh Yeah Legends Award recipients Snow Patrol, Sister Ghost walked away with Best Live Act, Cherym won the Oh Yeah Contender Award and Junk Drawer took Best Single with ‘Year of the Sofa’. Meanwhile, X-ray Touring’s Steve Strange won the Outstanding Contribution to…