CMAT and Amble have been shortlisted RTÉ Choice Music Prize Irish Album of the Year 2025.
Also featuring on this year’s shortlist is Kerryman Ronan Kealy who performs under the moniker Junior Brother, garage punk band Sprints and Dundalk experimental rock group Just Mustard.
The list was announced on RTÉ 2FM’s Tracy Clifford Show on Monday.
CMAT took home the gong for best album in 2022, and will be hoping to recreate that success with her chart topping Euro-Country.
Last year, which was the 20th anniversary of the €10,000 award, saw Fontaines DC win for their 2024 album Romance.
David Reid, Choice Prize co-founder said the “breadth and diversity of Irish music right now is astounding” and this was exemplified by the success of recent Choice Prize winners Fontaines DC CMAT doing “so well on the world stage”.
Choice Music Prize Irish Album of the Year 2025 shortlist:Amble – ReverieBricknasty – Black’s LawJoshua Burnside – Teeth of TimeCMAT – Euro-CountryDove Ellis – BlizzardJunior Brother – The EndJust Mustard – We Were Just Herepôt-pot – Warsaw 480kmMaria Somerville – LusterSprints – All That Is Over
The winning act will be announced live from Vicar Street on RTÉ 2FM in a special show on March 5th, hosted by Beta Da Silva.
The winner will receive €10,000 in a fund supported by the Irish Music Rights Organisation and Irish Recorded Music Association, as well as a specially commissioned award.
Chosen from the shortlist of 10 albums by a panel of 11 Irish music media professionals and industry experts, the winning act will receive €10,000.
Additional categories will be announced later this week: Irish artist of the year will be announced on Tuesday, Irish breakthrough on Wednesday, classic Irish album on Thursday and Irish song of the year on Friday.
Irish artist of the year and breakthrough artist will also be announced at the Vicar Street ceremony on March 5th.
Both the classic Irish album category and Irish song of the year will be announced before the live event, with the song of the year revealed on 2FM daytime on March 5th.