Popjustice £20 Music Prize

{{short description|British music award}}

File:Ten Tour 2013.JPG (pictured in 2013) have won the award five times, more than any other act.|alt=Five young women in bright leotards standing atop a sign reading "Girls Aloud"]]

The Popjustice £20 Music Prize, also known as the Popjustice Twenty Quid Prize,{{cite web |first=Lewis |last=Corner |url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/news/a606721/little-mixs-move-wins-2014-popjustice-twenty-quid-music-prize.html |title=Little Mix 'Move' wins popjustice 20 quid prize |publisher=Digital Spy |date=30 October 2014 |access-date=30 October 2014}} is an annual prize awarded by music website Popjustice to recognise the best British pop single of the previous year. The prize was conceived by Popjustice founder Peter Robinson in 2003 as a reaction to what he perceived as the pompous and elitist nature of the existing Mercury Prize, which recognises the best album of the previous year, and in particular its exclusion of pop music acts in favour of those from more esoteric genres.{{cite news |first=Peter |last=Robinson |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2012/oct/31/popjustice-twenty-quid-music-prize|title=The Popjustice Twenty Quid Music prize: more exciting than the Mercury |newspaper=The Guardian |date=31 October 2012 |access-date=13 February 2014}} The shortlist for the Popjustice prize is announced in September of each year and the winner named the following month, to coincide with the presentation of the Mercury Prize.{{cite web |url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/news/a514738/girls-aloud-mks-little-mix-1d-for-popjustice-20-quid-music-prize.html|title=Girls Aloud, MKS, Little Mix, 1D for Popjustice 20 Quid Music Prize |publisher=Digital Spy|date=12 September 2013|access-date=14 February 2014|first=Lewis|last=Corner}} Popjustice gives a token prize of £20 to the winner of its award, in contrast to the £20,000 given to the winner of the Mercury Prize.

The winning entry is chosen by a panel of Popjustice readers, who apply for the position via the website. The judges meet in a pub to debate the merits of the songs shortlisted by Robinson and eliminate them, often based on bizarre or arbitrary criteria, until a winner is chosen.{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7607835.stm |publisher=BBC News |title=Girls Aloud win £20 single prize |first=Mark |last=Savage |date=10 September 2008 |access-date=14 February 2014}}{{cite web |url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/news/a176638/girls-aloud-win-fifth-popjustice-prize.html |title=Girls Aloud win fifth Popjustice prize |publisher=Digital Spy |date=9 September 2009 |access-date=14 February 2014 |first=Alex |last=Fletcher}} In 2009 Nicola Roberts of Girls Aloud attended the pub in person to collect the prize of a £20 note in a plastic container.{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8246563.stm |publisher=BBC News |title=Girls Aloud star takes £20 prize |first=Mark |last=Savage |date=9 September 2009 |access-date=14 February 2014}}

The first prize was awarded to Girls Aloud in 2003 for their single "No Good Advice", and the act went on to win the award four more times over the next six years; no other act had won more than once until Little Mix's second win in 2015 with "Black Magic", the eighth time the award had been won by a British girl group.{{cite web|url=http://www.popjustice.com/thenews/little-mixs-black-magic-has-won-the-2015-twenty-quid-music-prize/139638/ |title=Little Mix's 'Black Magic' has won the 2015 Twenty Quid Music Prize |first=Brad |last=O'Mance |work=Popjustice}} Girls Aloud and Little Mix have received the most nominations, with eight apiece. The next highest number of nominations for an act is five for Dua Lipa, Calvin Harris and Mark Ronson.

Recipients

File:Rachel Stevens in Feb 2010 cropped.jpg has been nominated for the award four times as a solo artist and was also a member of the group S Club, who were nominated in 2003.|alt=Head and shoulders view of a young woman with brown hair]]

File:Amy Winehouse f4962007 crop.jpg received the award in 2007 and was nominated the next year in 2008.]]

File:Example Live @ Burnemouth BIC.jpg was the first male winner of the award. Prior to his win in 2010, Girls Aloud had received the award five times and female soloists had won twice.|alt=A man performing on stage, singing into a microphone and making a hand gesture in the air]]

File:The Saturdays All Fired Up Arena Tour.png has won the award once out of four nominations in 2011.]]

File:Will Young 2011.jpg became the second male winner of the award when he received it in 2012 in his third nomination.]]

File:Chvrches at SPIN Party, SXSW (2013) - 1.jpg|alt=A young woman with brown hair, wearing a white T-shirt and denim shorts, singing into a microphone]]

File:LittleMixLM5TourParis (cropped).jpg have won the award on three occasions and share the record of most nominations overall with Girls Aloud with eight nominations.|alt=Four women performing on stage, singing into microphones]]

File:Zayn Wiki (cropped).jpg member Zayn won on his first solo nomination in 2016 after receiving three nominations as part of the group.]]

File:Rita Ora (cropped).jpg received the award in 2018.]]

File:AIM independent music awards 2019 21 (cropped).jpg won the award in 2019.]]

File:Dua Lipa with Warner Music.jpg received the award in 2020.]]

File:LauraMvula cropped.jpg received the award in 2021.]]

{{Table alignment}}

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders col1center"

|+Winners of the Popjustice £20 Music Prize

! scope=col|Year

! scope=col|Song

! scope=col|Performing artist(s)

! class=unsortable scope=col|Nominees

! class=unsortable scope=col|Ref

2003

!scope=row|"No Good Advice"

|Girls Aloud

|{{smalldiv|

}}

|{{cite web|url=http://www.popjustice.com/twentyquidmusicprize/|title=The Popjustice Twenty Quid Music Prize|publisher=Popjustice|access-date=14 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130914134610/http://www.popjustice.com/twentyquidmusicprize/|archive-date=14 September 2013|url-status=dead}}

2004

!scope=row|"Some Girls"

|{{sort|Stevens|Rachel Stevens}}

|{{smalldiv|

}}

|

2005

!scope=row|"Wake Me Up"

|Girls Aloud

|{{smalldiv|

}}

|

2006

!scope=row|"Biology"

|Girls Aloud

|{{smalldiv|

}}

|

2007

!scope=row|"Rehab"

|{{sort|Winehouse|Amy Winehouse}}

|{{smalldiv|

}}

|

2008

!scope=row|"Call the Shots"

|Girls Aloud

|{{smalldiv|

}}

|

2009

!scope=row|"The Promise"

|Girls Aloud

|{{smalldiv|

}}

|

2010

!scope=row|"Kickstarts"

|Example

|{{smalldiv|

}}

|

2011

!scope=row|"Higher"

|{{sort|Saturdays|The Saturdays}}

|{{smalldiv|

}}

|

2012

!scope=row|"Jealousy"

|{{sort|Young|Will Young}}

|{{smalldiv|

}}

|

2013

!scope=row|"The Mother We Share"

|Chvrches

|{{smalldiv|

}}

|

2014

!scope=row|"Move"

|{{sort

Little Mix}}

|{{smalldiv|

}}

|

2015

!scope=row|"Black Magic"

|{{sort

Little Mix}}

|{{smalldiv|

}}

|

2016

!scope=row|"Pillowtalk"

|Zayn

|{{smalldiv|

}}

|

2017

!scope=row|"Touch"

|Little Mix

|{{smalldiv|

}}

|

2018

!scope=row|"Anywhere"

|Rita Ora

|{{smalldiv|

}}

|

2019

!scope=row|"About Work the Dancefloor"

|Georgia

|{{smalldiv|

}}

2020

!scope=row|"Physical"

|Dua Lipa

|{{smalldiv|

}}

|

2021

!scope=row|"Got Me"

|Laura Mvula

|{{smalldiv|

}}

|{{cite web|url=https://www.popjustice.com/briefing/the-2021-popjustice-twenty-quid-music-prize-shortlist-announced/|title=The 2021 Popjustice Twenty Quid Music Prize: shortlist announced|website=Popjustice|first=Peter|last=Robinson|date=July 22, 2021|access-date=July 27, 2021}}

2022

!scope=row|"As It Was"

| Harry Styles

|{{smalldiv|

}}

| {{cite web|url=https://www.popjustice.com/briefing/the-2022-popjustice-twenty-quid-music-prize-shortlist/|title=The 2022 Popjustice Twenty Quid Music Prize: shortlist|website=Popjustice|date=July 26, 2022|access-date=August 1, 2022}}

2023

!scope=row| "Escapism"

| Raye featuring 070 Shake

|{{smalldiv|

}}

| {{cite web |date=July 27, 2023 |title=The 2023 Popjustice Twenty Quid Music Prize: a shortlist |url=https://popjustice.substack.com/p/the-2023-popjustice-twenty-quid-music |access-date=July 27, 2023 |website=Popjustice}}

2024

!scope=row|"Girl, So Confusing (remix)"{{cite web |title=Congratulations to Charli XCX and Lorde: winners of the 2024 Popjustice Twenty Quid Music Prize • Popjustice |url=https://www.popjustice.com/briefing/congratulations-to-charli-xcx-and-lorde-winners-of-the-2024-popjustice-twenty-quid-music-prize/ |website=Popjustice |access-date=9 September 2024 |date=5 September 2024}}

|Charli XCX and Lorde

|{{smalldiv|

}}

|{{Cite web |last=Robinson |first=Peter |date=2024-07-25 |title=The 2024 Popjustice Twenty Quid Music Prize shortlist |url=https://popjustice.substack.com/p/the-2024-popjustice-twenty-quid-music |access-date=2024-07-29 |website=Popjustice}}

Most nominated artists

The following have received three or more nominations:

{{Table alignment}}

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders col2center"

|+Artists nominated three or more times for the Popjustice £20 Music Prize

!scope=col|Artist

!scope=col|Nominations

!scope=col class=unsortable|Years

scope=row|Girls Aloud

| 8

|2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2013

scope=row|Little Mix

| 8

|2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2021

scope="row" |Charli XCX

| 6

|2014, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2024

scope="row" |{{sort|Lipa|Dua Lipa}}

| 6

|2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2024

scope=row|{{sort|Harris|Calvin Harris}}

| 5

|2007, 2008, 2009, 2017, 2018

scope=row|{{sort|Ronson|Mark Ronson}}

| 5

|2008, 2011, 2015, 2019 (2 nominations)

scope=row|{{sort|Stevens|Rachel Stevens}}

| 4

|2004 (2 nominations; won 1), 2005, 2006

scope=row|Marina and the Diamonds

| 4

|2010, 2012, 2015, 2019

scope=row|{{sort|Murs|Olly Murs}}

| 4

|2012, 2013, 2015, 2016

scope=row|{{sort|Saturdays|The Saturdays}}

| 4

|2009, 2011, 2012, 2013

scope=row|Clean Bandit

| 4

|2016, 2017, 2018, 2019

scope=row|{{sort|Ware|Jessie Ware}}

| 4

| 2014, 2020, 2021, 2023

scope=row|Goldfrapp

| 3

|2005, 2006, 2008

scope=row|{{sort|Young|Will Young}}

| 3

|2004, 2006, 2012

scope=row|KDA

| 3

|2015, 2017, 2019

scope=row|{{sort|Williams|Robbie Williams}}

| 3

|2005, 2007, 2013

scope=row|Sugababes

| 3

|2004, 2006, 2008

scope=row|{{sort|1975|The 1975}}

| 3

|2016, 2019, 2020

scope=row|{{sort|Ora|Rita Ora}}

| 3

|2014, 2018, 2019

scope=row|{{sort|Runway|Bree Runway}}

| 3

|2018, 2020, 2021

scope=row|Mini Viva

| 3

|2010 (three nominations)

scope=row|One Direction

| 3

|2012, 2013, 2014

scope=row|Ellie Goulding

| 3

| 2015, 2016, 2023

scope=row|Raye

| 3

| 2020, 2021, 2023

See also

References

{{Reflist|30em}}