Sam Fender has handed over the entirety of his £25k honor cash to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to preserve the UK's small live music spots.
The star was given the award on October 16 as his new release People Watching was chosen as the outstanding release of the last 12 months.
Fender has opted to give the cash to the MVT, in appreciation of the crucial part small stages played in his beginning days.
"As an artist couldn't be pursuing my current career if it hadn't been for all the performances I did around the North East, and further afield, when I was just getting going," said the artist. "These locations are iconic, but they are in difficulty."
From early 2023 onward, over 150 of these spaces have shut down – roughly 16% of the entire UK sector.
In the last year, well-known musicians including the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the Music Venues Trust in its initiatives to support the industry, by including a minor surcharge to their ticket costs, which goes to help smaller concert halls.
Fender also participated, generating over £100k on his live tour to support thirty-eight grassroots venues across Britain.
The money helped venues that were facing potential shutdown due to challenges caused by water damage, fires and personal losses, as well as regulatory hurdles, legal disputes and sound issues.
Some locations were granted monetary aid in modernizing amenities and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted musicians and fans.
"The notion that money from shows in major spaces backs the independent spots, where it begins for artists like me, is just sensible," Fender has stated.
The musician is not the first artist to contribute his honor prize money to charitable organizations.
In the band received the prize in 1996 for their record the album, frontman Jarvis Cocker announced that the group would contribute their winnings to the non-profit War Child.
During 2002, rapper and singer she shared her prize between a few organizations, including the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"Additionally, I gave a thousand pounds to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics class, because I did gymnastics when I was younger and they needed new equipment," the artist shared with the media.
Previously, the band contributed their funds to the youth organization that supported their group, in addition to other local music groups.
Additionally 1994 winners M People contributed their winnings to a MS organization after a friend was diagnosed the illness.
"The victory was sufficient," said artist the singer. "The money was the extra but we didn't require the cherry, because we had the cake. So our victory touched another person's life."
Recently, the Music Venues Trust shared it had rescued several local spots in that region, by bringing them into public stewardship.
One venue in Southampton and The Croft in that location were purchased under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is backed by Arts Council England and supporters who buy "ownership units" in the properties.
