The Mercury Prize award ceremony will take place in September 2022.

The annual event - which honours British and Irish music acts and and ultimately crowns the best album released in the United Kingdom - has set a date for Thursday 8 September 2022 and will take place at the Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith.

A shortlist of 12 ‘Albums of the Year’ is set to be be announced on 28 July 2022 and overall coverage of the event will be provided by broadcast partner BBC Music.

The new sponsor of the prestigious award is Europe's largest multimorbidity app company FREE NOW and frequent collaborators Bowers Wilkins will continue to provide sound support for the event.

A statement said: "FREE NOW, Europe’s number 1 Mobility Super App, with the largest vehicle choice for consumers across Europe, is the new headline sponsor of the Mercury Prize, a deal brokered by big group. The sponsorship is part of a multi-year commitment from FREE NOW to support British music. As part of its ongoing commitment to support UK recorded music, renowned British audio brand, Bowers Wilkins, will continue as the official audio partner of the Mercury Prize. At the forefront of music creation for over 40 years, it is uniquely placed to help the Mercury Prize celebrate the album format and the shortlisted artists’ creative achievements. "

Last year's winner was Indie pop artist Arlo Parks, who scooped up the accolade for her debut album 'Collapsed in Sunbeams,' and other notable winners over the ceremony's 30-year history include rock band Suede for their self-titled debut album back in 1993 and the Arctic Monkeys for their 2006 album 'Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not.'