Sam Fender has handed over the complete sum of his twenty-five thousand pound honor winnings to the MVT, which works to protect the United Kingdom's small live music spots.
Fender was given the prize on mid-October as his new release People Watching was named the best record of the last 12 months.
Fender has opted to give the cash to the trust, in appreciation of the crucial part local spots had in his beginning days.
"As an artist couldn't be pursuing my current career if it hadn't been for all the shows I performed around the area, and further afield, when I was starting out," stated the artist. "These venues are iconic, but they are in difficulty."
Since the start of 2023, more than 150 of these spaces have permanently closed – approximately 16% of the total UK scene.
Over the past year, well-known musicians including Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all supported the MVT in its efforts to support the industry, by adding a modest fee to their ticket costs, which goes to help independent venues.
Fender also joined in, raising over £100k on his live tour to help 38 small stages across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The donation assisted locations that were facing potential shutdown due to issues caused by floods, fires and personal losses, as well as permit problems, legal disputes and noise complaints.
Additional spaces received funding support in upgrading facilities and gear that directly benefitted musicians and concertgoers.
"The notion that money from shows in big venues backs the smaller venues, where it begins for artists like me, is just common sense," Fender has said.
He is far from the only musician to give his award winnings to good deeds.
In Pulp received the award in the year 1996 for their album the album, frontman Cocker announced that the act would donate their prize money to the charity War Child.
During 2002, artist she split her prize between a few charities, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"Additionally, I gave a thousand pounds to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics program, because I did gymnastics when I was growing up and they required better apparatus," Ms Dynamite explained to outlets.
In recent years, Ezra Collective gave their funds to the local youth club that supported their group, alongside other independent music bodies.
Also 1994 winners the group gave their award to a multiple sclerosis charity after a acquaintance was identified with the illness.
"The victory was quite enough," said vocalist Small. "The prize was the extra but we didn't require the extra, because we had the cake. So our victory touched the lives of others."
Recently, the trust shared it had rescued a couple of local spots in that region, by transferring them to local control.
The first in Southampton and the second in Bristol were acquired under the Own Our Venues scheme, which is backed by a national body and supporters who buy "shares" in the buildings.
