Sam Fender has handed over the full amount of his £25k award winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which works to preserve the UK's independent concert spaces.
Fender was given the award on October 16 as his latest record the album was chosen as the best record of the last 12 months.
He has decided to hand the money over to the Music Venues Trust, in recognition of the crucial part grassroots venues had in his beginning days.
"As an artist wouldn't be doing this success if it wasn't for all the performances I performed around the North East, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," stated the artist. "These spaces are renowned, but they are facing challenges."
Beginning in 2023, over 150 of these spaces have ceased operations – roughly one-sixth of the entire UK sector.
In the last year, top acts including Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the Music Venues Trust in its attempts to support the industry, by including a modest fee to their ticket prices, which goes to help smaller concert halls.
Fender also participated, raising in excess of £100,000 on his live tour to support thirty-eight local spots across Britain.
The money assisted locations that were confronting potential shutdown due to issues stemming from flooding, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as permit problems, legal disputes and neighbor objections.
Additional spaces obtained financial assistance in upgrading facilities and sound and lighting systems that positively impacted artists and concertgoers.
"The idea that revenue from shows in big venues backs the smaller venues, where it begins for performers like me, is just logical," Fender has stated.
He is among several artists to give his honor winnings to charitable organizations.
In Pulp earned the award in the mid-90s for their record their work, lead singer the singer stated that the band would give their winnings to the organization the charity.
That year, musician the artist shared her bounty among several charities, like the children's charity and a Sickle Cell charity.
"And I donated a £1,000 to my local community centre, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was a child and they required better apparatus," she shared with outlets.
Two years ago, the band donated their prize money to the local youth club that supported their group, in addition to other grassroots music organisations.
And the 1994 recipients the group donated their winnings to a multiple sclerosis charity after a close contact was found to have the condition.
"The victory was sufficient," said vocalist Heather Small. "The prize was the bonus but we didn't need the extra, because we had the main prize. So our victory affected somebody else's life."
In the past week, the MVT shared it had rescued two local spots in south-east England, by transferring them to local control.
The first in that area and The Croft in Bristol were bought under the Own Our Venues program, which is backed by Arts Council England and supporters who acquire "ownership units" in the properties.
