Sam Fender has donated his £25,000 cash prize to the Music Venue Trust.

Fender said: “I wouldn’t be doing what I am doing today if it wasn’t for all the gigs I played around the North East, and beyond, when I was starting out,” he said. “These venues are legendary, but they are struggling.”

Mark Davyd, CEO and founder of the MVT, said: “This is an incredible gesture by Sam, demonstrating once again that artists absolutely understand how vital grassroots music venues are to their careers and to their communities. We are honoured to accept this donation and will ensure every penny of it makes a direct difference to the campaign to keep live music at the heart of our towns and cities.”

Fender performing at the Southside Festival in June 2025 as part of the People Watching Tour.

By Schwabenmodel – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link