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This year’s Mercury Prize will be awarded at Newcastle’s Utilita Arena this week - the first time the ceremony has been held outside London.
Those not going to the event can watch live on BBC Four from 9.30pm on Thursday, October 16, as Lauren Laverne hosts.
Formerly called the Mercury Music Prize, it was created in 1992 as an alternative to the Brit Awards and is known for its eclectic mix of musical genres.
The first prize was won by Scottish band Primal Scream for their seminal album ‘Screamadelica’, with Franz Ferdinand and Young Fathers the only other acts from north of the border to have triumphed.
This year Jacob Alon is hoping to become the fourth, for their debut album In Limerence.
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9. PinkPantheress - 20/1
Priced as a 20/1 longshot is PinkPantheress, for 'Fancy That' - technically a mix tape rather than an album. The judges didn't seem to mind. | Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Ima
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10. Pa Salieu - 25/1
Rapper Pa Salieu has had a turbulent couple of years, having served 21 months in jail for violent disorder. He was released in September last year and has now been shortlisted for the Mercury for second album 'Afrikan Alien'. He's 25/1 to win. | Getty Images for SXSW London
11. Martin Carthy - 33/1
Prolific 84-year-old folk singer Martin Carthy has been nominated for his 19th studio album, 'Transform Me Then Into a Fish'. He's priced at 33/1. | Getty Images
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12. Joe Webb - 33/1
Pianist Joe Webb's album 'Hamstrings & Hurricanes' also has a 33/1 chance of taking home the trophy. | Contributed