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JazzFM Awards 2025: nominees announced

It was a delight to read the nominations for the 2025 JazzFM Awards, including recognition for two of my guests on Harmonious World. Lucy-Anne Daniels (January 2024) is nominated as Vocalist of the Year and Emma Rawicz (January 2025) joins corto.alto and Mark Kavuma as nominees for Instrumentalist of the Year.




The 2025 Jazz FM Awards, presented in collaboration with PPL and PRS for Music, have unveiled this year’s nominees. Recognised as one of the most prestigious events in the jazz world, the awards celebrate both emerging and established talent, highlighting the genre’s ongoing evolution and innovation. The ceremony is set to take place on Thursday April 24th 2025 at KOKO in North London. 

There’s more to come: beyond the competitive categories, there will also be a Lifetime Achievement Award, Gold Award, and Impact Award, recognising people who have not only shaped jazz history but continue to inspire new generations of musicians and audiences. 

Nick Pitts, Content Director of Jazz FM and Magic Classical said: “I’m very grateful to all those in the industry who contributed the longlist and to our panel of judges for creating such a creatively diverse list of nominees. This is a true reflection of the class of 2025 covering off the great and the good of the jazz, soul and blues world today. The Jazz FM Awards with PPL and PRS for Music ceremony this year will surely provide a defining moment in the genre with such a superb selection behind the winners that will be announced then. Good luck to all of our nominees!” 

Here are all the nominees:

UK JAZZ ACT OF THE YEAR – PUBLIC VOTE
Sponsored by: Rathbones
  • corto.alto
  • Ezra Collective
  • Nubya Garcia 

ALBUM OF THE YEAR – PUBLIC VOTE
  • Alice Zawadzki, Fred Thomas, Misha Mullov-Abbado – Za Górami
  • Ezra Collective – Dance, No One’s Watching
  • Meshell Ndegeocello – No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin
  • Nubya Garcia – Odyssey
  • Samara Joy – Portrait
  • Shabaka – Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace 

BREAKTHROUGH ACT OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by: Arts Council England 
  • Mama Terra
  • Ni Maxine
  • Sultan Stevenson 

INTERNATIONAL JAZZ ACT OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by: Saint Lucia Tourism Authority 
  • Lakecia Benjamin
  • Meshell Ndegeocello
  • Samara Joy 

VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by: ICEX España 
  • Alice Zawadzki
  • Bryony Jarman-Pinto
  • Lucy-Anne Daniels 

INSTRUMENTALIST OF THE YEAR 
  • corto.alto
  • Emma Rawicz
  • Mark Kavuma 

SOUL ACT OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by: Oanda 
  • Allysha Joy
  • Jalen Ngonda
  • Michael Kiwanuka 

BLUES ACT OF THE YEAR 
  • Christone “Kingfish” Ingram
  • Shemekia Copeland
  • Toby Lee 

THE INNOVATION AWARD
Sponsored by: Mishcon de Reya 
  • corto.alto
  • Ferg’s Imaginary Big Band
  • Orii 

THE COLLABORATION AWARD – NEW FOR 2025 
  • Queer Jazz
  • Take Five by Serious
  • Women in Jazz 

Get your vote in now here.
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