The longlists for this year’s Northern Ireland Music Prize are now live. Recognised as the biggest night in the NI music calendar, the Prize returns once again to the iconic Ulster Hall on Wednesday, 12th November as part of the Sound of Belfast festival.

As ever, the big prize is the Best Album award. Among the artists longlisted this year are And So I Watch You From Afar, Ciaran Lavery, Jordan Adetunji, Or:la, The Wood Burning Savages, Kaidi Tatham, Joshua Burnside, Córas Trio, Junk Drawer, Taylor Lally and RÓIS.

Members of the public are invited to have their say. Votes are open now to help decide which acts make it onto the official Shortlist.

  • Album of the Year: 11 albums chosen by the NI Music Prize Academy will be joined by one album selected through the public vote.
  • Single of the Year: 5 singles chosen by the Academy will be joined by one single selected through the public vote.
  • Live Act of the Year: 3 live acts chosen by the Academy will be joined by one live act selected through the public vote.

Voting closes at 9am on Monday, 22nd September 2025. One vote per category will be counted, with duplicates disqualified. All data will be processed in line with GDPR and used solely for the NI Music Prize 2025 voting process.

For the full longlists and details on how to cast your vote, head here