Sam Fender has donated the entirety of his £25k award prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to preserve the UK's small live music spots.
The star was presented with the award on mid-October as his new release People Watching was named the outstanding release of the past year.
He has chosen to give the cash to the trust, in acknowledgment of the crucial part grassroots venues fulfilled in his beginning days.
"I would not have achieved what I am doing today if it weren't for all the performances I did around the area, and further afield, when I was starting out," stated Sam Fender. "These locations are iconic, but they are facing challenges."
Since the start of 2023, at least 150 of these locations have shut down – roughly 16% of the total UK scene.
In the last year, major artists like Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all aided the trust in its initiatives to help venues survive, by including a small levy to their ticket costs, which supports smaller concert halls.
Fender also participated, collecting in excess of £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to assist thirty-eight local spots across Britain.
The donation assisted venues that were facing potential shutdown due to challenges caused by water damage, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as permit problems, conflicts and sound issues.
Some locations received financial assistance in modernizing facilities and sound and lighting systems that positively impacted performers and fans.
"The idea that revenue from performances in large arenas helps the local stages, where it all starts for artists like me, is just sensible," Fender has said.
He is far from the only musician to contribute his award funds to worthy causes.
When Pulp received the prize in the mid-90s for their record Different Class, vocalist the singer declared that the band would donate their prize money to the organization the charity.
In 2002, artist the artist shared her bounty between a few good causes, such as the children's charity and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"And I gave a thousand pounds to my local community centre, to their classes, because I did gymnastics when I was growing up and they needed updated gear," she told the media.
Two years ago, Ezra Collective gave their funds to the local youth club that supported their band, alongside other grassroots music organisations.
Additionally winners that year the group donated their prize to a multiple sclerosis charity after a friend was diagnosed the condition.
"Winning was sufficient," remarked vocalist Heather Small. "The prize was the extra but we didn't need the extra, because we had the main prize. So our success affected another person's life."
Last week, the Music Venues Trust revealed it had protected two small stages in the South East, by bringing them into community ownership.
The first in that area and the other in the city were purchased under the community ownership initiative, which is funded by the arts council and enthusiasts who buy "ownership units" in the buildings.
