El Premi Mercury (en anglès Mercury Prize), també conegut com a Premi Musical Mercuri i, més recentment, com el "Barclaycard Mercury Prize" per motius de patrocini, és un premi anual de música al millor àlbum del Regne Unit o Irlanda. Va ser establert per l'Associació Britànica de Discogràfiques i BARD el 1992 com un alternatiu als premis Brit. Originalment va ser patrocinat per Mercury Communications (ara desaparegut) i més tard per Technics, entre 2002 a 2004 per Panasonic, de 2004 fins a 2008 per Nationwide Building Society i des de març de 2009 per Barclaycard.
Normalment el lliurament del Premi Mercury té lloc al setembre, encara que els àlbums candidats s'anuncien al juliol. Sovint els grups que són candidats o que guanyen el premi tenen un gran augment en vendes del seu àlbum, especialment quan els candidats són poc coneguts.Scotsman Les nominacions són triades per un jurat de músics, periodistes i altres figures de la indústria musical del Regne Unit i Irlanda.
Fins avui, PJ Harvey és l'única artista que ha guanyat aquest premi en més d'una ocasió (en 2001 i 2011). També va ser la primera solista femenina a rebre el premi.
Guanyadors i candidats miniatura|Primal Scream, guanyador inaugural miniatura|Suede, guanyadors el 1993 miniatura|Beth Gibbons, de Portishead, guanyadors el 1995 miniatura|Pulp, guanyadors el 1996 miniatura|Badly Drawn Boy, guanyador el 2000 miniatura|PJ Harvey, guanyadora el 2001 i 2011 miniatura|Ms. Dynamite, guanyadora el 2002 miniatura|Dizzee Rascal, guanyador el 2003 miniatura|Franz Ferdinand, guanyadors el 2004 miniatura|Antony Hegarty, d'Antony and the Johnsons, guanyadors el 2005 miniatura|Klaxons, guanyadors el 2007 miniatura|Speech Debelle, guanyadora el 2009 miniatura|The xx, guanyadors el 2010 miniatura|Alt-J, guanyadors el 2012 miniatura|James Blake, guanyador el 2013 miniatura|Young Fathers, guanyadors el 2014. AnyGuanyadorCandidatsRef.1992 Primal Scream – Screamadelica Barry Adamson – Soul Murder Jah Wobble – Rising Above Bedlam The Jesus and Mary Chain – Honey's Dead Bheki Mseleku – Celebration Saint Etienne – Foxbase Alpha Simply Red – Stars U2 – Achtung Baby John Tavener & Steven Isserlis –The Protecting Veil Young Disciples – Road to Freedom1993 Suede – Suede Apache Indian – No Reservations The Auteurs – New Wave Gavin Bryars – Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet Dina Carroll – So Close PJ Harvey – Rid of Me New Order – Republic Stereo MCs – Connected Sting – Ten Summoner's Tales Stan Tracey – Portraits Plus1994 M People – Elegant Slumming Blur – Parklife Ian McNabb – Head Like A Rock Shara Nelson – What Silence Knows Michael Nyman – The Piano Concerto and MGV The Prodigy – Music for the Jilted Generation Pulp – His 'n' Hers Take That – Everything Changes Therapy? – Troublegum Paul Weller – Wild Wood| align=center| |- | align=center|1995 | Portishead – Dummy| Guy Barker – Into the Blue Elastica – Elastica PJ Harvey – To Bring You My Love Leftfield – Leftism James MacMillan – Seven Last Words from the Cross Van Morrison – Days Like This Oasis – Definitely Maybe Supergrass – I Should Coco Tricky – Maxinquaye| align=center| |- | align=center|1996 | Pulp – Different Class| Artists for War Child – Help Black Grape – It's Great When You're Straight... Yeah Peter Maxwell Davies/Orquesta Filarmónica de la BBC – The Beltane Fire / Caroline Mathilde Manic Street Preachers – Everything Must Go Mark Morrison – Return of the Mack Oasis – (What's the Story) Morning Glory? Courtney Pine – Modern Day Jazz Stories Underworld – Second Toughest in the Infants Norma Waterson – Norma Waterson| align=center| |- | align=center|1997 | Roni Size/Reprazent – New Forms| The Chemical Brothers – Dig Your Own Hole Beth Orton – Trailer Park Primal Scream – Vanishing Point The Prodigy – The Fat of the Land Radiohead – OK Computer Spice Girls – Spice Suede – Coming Up John Tavener – Svyati Mark-Anthony Turnage – Your Rockaby| align=center| |- | align=center|1998 | Gomez – Bring It On| 4hero – Two Pages Asian Dub Foundation – Rafi's Revenge Eliza Carthy – Red Rice Catatonia – International Velvet Cornershop – When I Was Born for the 7th Time Massive Attack – Mezzanine Propellerheads – Decksandrumsandrockandroll Pulp – This Is Hardcore John Surman – Proverbs & Songs The Verve – Urban Hymns Robbie Williams – Life thru a Lens| align=center| |- | align=center|1999 | Talvin Singh – Ok| Thomas Adès – Asyla Denys Baptiste – Be Where You Are Black Star Liner – Bengali Bantam Youth Experience! Blur – 13 The Chemical Brothers – Surrender Faithless – Sunday 8PM Manic Street Preachers – This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours Beth Orton – Central Reservation Kate Rusby – Sleepless Stereophonics – Performance and Cocktails Underworld – Beaucoup Fish| align=center| |- | align=center|2000 | Badly Drawn Boy – The Hour of Bewilderbeast| Richard Ashcroft – Alone with Everybody Coldplay – Parachutes M. J. Cole – Sincere Death in Vegas – The Contino Sessions The Delgados – The Great Eastern Doves – Lost Souls Helicopter Girl – How to Steal the World Leftfield – Rhythm and Stealth Nicholas Maw – Violin Concerto Nitin Sawhney – Beyond Skin Kathryn Williams – Little Black Numbers| align=center| |- | align=center|2001 | PJ Harvey – Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea| Basement Jaxx – Rooty Elbow – Asleep in the Back Goldfrapp – Felt Mountain Gorillaz – Gorillaz (nomination withdrawn at the request of the band) Ed Harcourt – Here Be Monsters Tom McRae – Tom McRae Radiohead – Amnesiac Susheela Raman – Salt Rain Super Furry Animals – Rings Around the World Turin Brakes – The Optimist LP Zero 7 – Simple Things| align=center| |- | align=center|2002 | Ms. Dynamite – A Little Deeper| Guy Barker – Soundtrack The Bees – Sunshine Hit Me David Bowie – Heathen The Coral – The Coral Doves – The Last Broadcast The Electric Soft Parade – Holes in the Wall Gemma Hayes – Night on My Side Beverley Knight – Who I Am Roots Manuva – Run Come Save Me Joanna MacGregor – Play The Streets – Original Pirate Material| align=center| |- | align=center|2003 | Dizzee Rascal – Boy in da Corner| Athlete – Vehicles and Animals Eliza Carthy – Anglicana Coldplay – A Rush of Blood to the Head The Darkness – Permission to Land Floetry – Floetic Soweto Kinch – Conversations with the Unseen Lemon Jelly – Lost Horizons The Thrills – So Much for the City Martina Topley-Bird – Quixotic Radiohead – Hail to the Thief Terri Walker – Untitled| align=center| |- | align=center|2004 | Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand| Basement Jaxx – Kish Kash Belle & Sebastian – Dear Catastrophe Waitress Jamelia – Thank You Keane – Hopes and Fears Snow Patrol – Final Straw Joss Stone – The Soul Sessions The Streets – A Grand Don't Come for Free Ty – Upwards Amy Winehouse – Frank Robert Wyatt – Cuckooland The Zutons – Who Killed...... The Zutons?| align=center| |- | align=center|2005 | Antony and the Johnsons – I Am a Bird Now| Bloc Party – Silent Alarm Coldplay – X&Y Hard-Fi – Stars of CCTV Kaiser Chiefs – Employment KT Tunstall – Eye to the Telescope M.I.A. – Arular Maxïmo Park – A Certain Trigger Polar Bear – Held on the Tips of Fingers Seth Lakeman – Kitty Jay The Go! Team – Thunder, Lightning, Strike The Magic Numbers – The Magic Numbers| align=center| |- | align=center|2006 | Arctic Monkeys – Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not| Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan – Ballad of the Broken Seas Editors – The Back Room Guillemots – Through the Windowpane Richard Hawley – Coles Corner Hot Chip – The Warning Muse – Black Holes & Revelations Zoe Rahman – Melting Pot Lou Rhodes – Beloved One Scritti Politti – White Bread Black Beer Sway – This Is My Demo Thom Yorke – The Eraser| align=center| |- | align=center|2007 | Klaxons – Myths of the Near Future| Arctic Monkeys – Favourite Worst Nightmare Basquiat Strings con Seb Rochford – Basquiat Strings Bat for Lashes – Fur and Gold Dizzee Rascal – Maths + English Maps – We Can Create New Young Pony Club – Fantastic Playroom Fionn Regan – The End of History Jamie T – Panic Prevention The View – Hats Off to the Buskers Amy Winehouse – Back to Black Young Knives – Voices of Animals and Men | align=center| |- | align=center|2008 | Elbow – The Seldom Seen Kid | Adele – 19 British Sea Power – Do You Like Rock Music? Burial – Untrue Estelle – Shine The Last Shadow Puppets – The Age of the Understatement Laura Marling – Alas, I Cannot Swim''' Neon Neon – Stainless Style Robert Plant & Alison Krauss – Raising Sand Portico Quartet – Knee Deep In The North Sea Radiohead – In Rainbows Rachel Unthank and the Winterset – The Bairns| align=center| |- | align=center|2009 | Speech Debelle – Speech Therapy| Bat for Lashes – Two Suns Florence and the Machine – Lungs Friendly Fires – Friendly Fires Glasvegas – Glasvegas Lisa Hannigan – Sea Sew The Horrors – Primary Colours The Invisible – The Invisible Kasabian – West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum La Roux – La Roux Led Bib – Sensible Shoes Sweet Billy Pilgrim – Twice Born Men2010 The xx – xx Biffy Clyro – Only Revolutions Corinne Bailey Rae – The Sea Dizzee Rascal – Tongue n' Cheek Foals – Total Life Forever I Am Kloot – Sky at Night Kit Downes Trio – Golden Laura Marling – I Speak Because I Can Mumford & Sons – Sigh No More Paul Weller – Wake Up the Nation Villagers – Becoming a Jackal Wild Beasts – Two Dancers| align=center| |- | align=center|2011 | PJ Harvey – Let England Shake| Adele – 21 Anna Calvi – Anna Calvi Elbow – Build a Rocket Boys! Everything Everything – Man Alive Ghostpoet – Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam Gwilym Simcock – Good Days at Schloss Elmau James Blake – James Blake Katy B – On a Mission King Creosote & Jon Hopkins – Diamond Mine Metronomy – The English Riviera Tinie Tempah – Disc-Overy2012Alt-J – An Awesome Wave Ben Howard – Every Kingdom Django Django – Django Django Field Music – Plumb Jessie Ware – Devotion Lianne La Havas – Is Your Love Big Enough Michael Kiwanuka – Home Again Plan B – Ill Manors Richard Hawley – Standing at the Sky's Edge Roller Trio – Roller Trio Sam Lee – Ground of Its Own The Maccabees – Given to the Wild2013James Blake – Overgrown Arctic Monkeys – AM David Bowie – The Next Day Disclosure – Settle Foals – Holy Fire Jake Bugg – Jake Bugg Jon Hopkins – Immunity Laura Marling – Once I Was an Eagle Laura Mvula – Sing to the Moon Rudimental – Home Savages – Silence Yourself Villagers – Awayland2014Young Fathers – Dead Anna Calvi – One Breath Bombay Bicycle Club – So Long, See You Tomorrow Damon Albarn – Everyday Robots East India Youth – Total Strife Forever FKA twigs – LP1 GoGo Penguin – V2.0 Jungle – Jungle Kate Tempest – Everybody Down Nick Mulvey – First Mind Polar Bear – In Each and Every One Royal Blood – Royal Blood
Controvèrsies Aquest guardó té fama d'atorgar-se a candidats sorpresa més que als favorits. Els guanyadors el 1994 van ser M People, una decisió controvertida quan es considera que la preselecció de candidats va incloure àlbums de Paul Weller, Blur, Pulp i The Prodigy.Judging music the Mercury way, BBC NewsWhy Mercury makes Isobel's blood boil at pop industry, ScotsmanDoes the Mercury Prize get it right?, BBC News
Altres periodistes musicals que havien participat com a crítics van dir que el premi de 2005 no hauria d'haver estat per a Antony and the Johnsons perquè són un grup amb base als Estats Units, encara que van néixer al Regne Unit.Inaugural Australian music prize announced, ABCAntony and Johnsons win Mercury, BBC News El 2006 l'àlbum de Mark Lanegan i Isobel Campbell, Ballad of the Broken Seas va ser inclòs en la preselecció de candidats, encara que Lanegan no és britànic, i diversos membres dels Guillemots, que van ser candidats en 2006, procedien de Brasil i el Canadà.Who can beat the Arctic Monkeys to win the Mercury Prize?, BBC Radio 6Muso's Guide