Sam Fender has given the full amount of his £25k honor cash to the MVT, which works to save the Britain's independent concert spaces.
He was given the cheque on mid-October as his third album the album was named the outstanding release of the past year.
Fender has chosen to hand the money over to the MVT, in recognition of the vital role small stages had in his early career.
"I personally wouldn't be doing my current career if it wasn't for all the shows I performed around the North East, and further afield, when I was beginning," remarked the artist. "These locations are legendary, but they are struggling."
From early 2023 onward, at least 150 of these locations have shut down – roughly 16% of the whole industry in the UK.
In the last year, well-known musicians such as the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all aided the trust in its attempts to help venues survive, by including a small levy to their ticket costs, which supports local stages.
He also joined in, raising over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to support 38 small stages across Britain.
These funds helped venues that were facing potential shutdown due to challenges arising from water damage, blazes and bereavements, as well as licensing issues, conflicts and sound issues.
Some locations received monetary aid in upgrading facilities and technical equipment that directly benefitted performers and audiences.
"The concept that revenue from performances in major spaces backs the smaller venues, where it all starts for artists like me, is just common sense," Sam Fender has commented.
He is far from the only musician to contribute his award prize money to good deeds.
Back when the band won the award in the year 1996 for their album the album, vocalist Cocker stated that the act would give their prize money to the organization War Child.
That year, artist she divided her award between several charities, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"And I gave a £1,000 to the center, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was growing up and they required updated gear," Ms Dynamite told the media.
In recent years, Ezra Collective gave their funds to the local youth club that supported their act, in addition to other independent music bodies.
And winners that year the group contributed their prize to a multiple sclerosis charity after a acquaintance was diagnosed the disease.
"The victory was sufficient," said singer Heather Small. "The money was the cherry on top but we could do without the bonus, because we had the main prize. So our victory affected another person's life."
Recently, the Music Venues Trust revealed it had protected several local spots in that region, by bringing them into community ownership.
The Joiners in the city and the other in that location were acquired under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is funded by Arts Council England and enthusiasts who buy "shares" in the properties.
