HYUNDAI MOTOR PARTNERS WITH THE MERCURY PRIZE

Hyundai Motor has been announced as the title partner of the 25th Mercury Prize. This agreement forms part of an initial three year partnership.

David Pugh, Marketing Director, Hyundai Motor UK said: “Hyundai Motor is proud to be part of the continuing history of the Mercury Prize as its new title sponsor. We love the fact that this strong and relevant partnership reflects the pioneering spirit of our brand by celebrating and promoting innovation in music, bringing the best of the UK and Irish scene to the world.”

The Hyundai Mercury Prize promotes the best of UK and Irish music and the artists who produce it. This is done primarily through the celebration of the 12 ‘Albums of the Year’. The overall Hyundai Mercury Prize for Album of the Year is the music equivalent to the Booker Prize for literature and the Turner Prize for art.

Now in its 25th year, this year’s Mercury Prize will be introducing a number of new elements.

Dan Ford, Managing Director of the Hyundai Mercury Prize said: “2016 marks the start of a new era of innovation for the Mercury Prize, as we begin a dynamic new partnership with Hyundai. We are particularly excited about the evolution of the judging process, including the introduction of a diverse new panel and online fan poll. The changes will enable music fans to play a part in the process for the first time, whilst ensuring that the Prize maintains its reputation for celebrating the best British and Irish albums, based solely on artistic merit.”

The shortlist of twelve Hyundai Mercury Prize ‘2016 Albums of the Year’ will be revealed at the Albums of the Year Launch event on Thursday, 4 August. The event will be immediately followed by an online poll, which will enable music fans to select the first of six 2016 finalists from the twelve albums. The five remaining finalists and the overall winner will be chosen by the expert Mercury Prize Judging Panel and announced as part of the 2016 Awards Show, which will take place on Thursday 15 September.

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