The shortlist for the 2024 Mercury Prize - one of the most esteemed individual "Best Album of the Year" awards given to a UK or Irish artist - has released its official shortlist of records. Featuring 12 albums, the list is as varied as ever, including some big internationally-beloved names (Charli XCX, Beth Gibbons), alongside some splashy newcomers (The Last Dinner Party, Nia Archives) and some acts you may be discovering for the first time (Cat Burns, Barry Can't Swim).

Here is the full shortlist of nominees:

Barry Can't Swim – When Will We Land? (Ninja Tune) 
Berwyn – Who Am I (Columbia) 
Beth Gibbons – Lives Outgrown (Domino)
Cat Burns – Early Twenties (RCA/Since ’93)
Charli XCX – Brat (Atlantic)
CMAT – Crazymad, For Me (AWAL)
Corinne Bailey Rae – Black Rainbows (Thirty Tigers)
Corto.alto – Bad With Names (New Soil/Marathon Artists)
English Teacher – This Could Be Texas (Island)
Ghetts – On Purpose, With Purpose (Warner Records)
Nia Archives – Silence Is Loud (Island)
The Last Dinner Party – Prelude To Ecstasy (Island)

It's an eclectic mix, which isn't surprising coming from the Mercury voting body. The award is somewhat notoriously hard to predict, with it sometimes going to predicted big-ticket artists (like The xx or PJ Harvey, who is still the only artist to have ever won it twice) and other times going to newer, up-and-coming artists, often for their debut albums (Sampha, Arlo Parks).

Last year's winner was Where I'm Meant to Be, by jazz act Ezra Collective. The group beat out high profile and acclaimed albums from bands like Arctic Monkeys, Jessie Ware, and Lankum.

While the award is usually presented during a performance-filled ceremony, this year will not have a formal show. Still, the award's winner will be announced in September.