Charli xcx continues her victory lap after the success of her zeitgeist-grabbing 2024 album Brat, winning songwriter of the year at the Ivor Novello awards, which honour the best in British and Irish songwriting and screen composition.

Brat marked a career high for the British pop artist, topping the UK charts and reaching No 3 in the US, and earning huge praise for Charli’s sardonic yet soul-baring lyrics. She won five Brit awards earlier this year, the second-highest number of wins in one night in the awards’ history, as well as three Grammys.

Brat was also nominated for the Mercury prize, and for best album at the Ivor Novellos, but the latter was won by Berwyn for Who Am I.

Berwyn has had a remarkable rise: having emigrated from Trinidad as a child and settled in Romford, he moved past drug dealing and alcoholism to craft a series of raw, passionate releases that reflect on Black Britishness, love, masculinity and immigration (he was given right to remain in the UK in 2021). His debut mixtape Demotape/Vega was nominated for the Mercury prize, and Who Am I, his debut album, features collaborators such as Fred Again.

Irish singer-songwriter Orla Gartland won best song musically and lyrically for her spartan ballad Mine, a devastatingly honest song that examines longstanding trauma and how Gartland relearned intimacy.

She beat one of the biggest British songs of the year in that category, Messy by Lola Young, as well as competition from Raye, Laura Marling and Fontaines DC. Young picked up the rising star award, though, after the morose and sweary Messy spent four weeks at UK No 1 and became a global smash.

Best contemporary song was awarded to the relatively little-heard Circumnavigating Georgia by Sans Soucis, who beat Jade’s pop smash Angel of My Dreams as well as rap tracks by Pa Salieu, Ghetts and Bashy.

Sans Soucis is the artist name of Giulia Grispino, an Italian-Congolese artist who relocated to London as a young adult. Circumnavigating Georgia, the title track of her second album, is a dreamy yet pointed ballad with ambient backing, as Grispino considers love and changing selfhood.

In the screen composition categories, Raffertie won best original film score for his work on Demi Moore body horror The Substance, and Vince Pope won best television soundtrack for True Detective: Night Country.

There was an indie triumph in the best original video game score category, given to John Konsolakis for his symphonic work for homegrown Scottish game Farewell North, in which you play a border collie traversing a landscape inspired by the Scottish Highlands.

The award for most performed work was given to Myles Smith for his huge, heartfelt hit Stargazing, which has been ubiquitous on radio and streaming.

The Ivors Academy also handed out a series of honorary awards. U2 became the first Irish act to be named Academy Fellows, while the icon award was given to Robbie Williams in the week he announced his latest album, Britpop. The visionary award was given to Self Esteem, after the recent release of her third studio album A Complicated Woman, and the special international award was given to Brandon Flowers, frontman of the Killers.

The classic lineup of British indie band Bloc Party – Kele Okereke, Russell Lissack, Gordon Moakes and Matt Tong – were given the award for outstanding song collection, recognising a career that stretches back to their enduringly popular 2005 debut album Silent Alarm.

Ivors Academy chief executive Roberto Neri acknowledged the challenges faced by songwriters as he hailed the winners. “Whether it’s fair pay, safe working environments or ensuring meaningful opt-in consent in the age of AI, the Ivors Academy exists to protect, empower and celebrate the most vital creative force in the music industry,” he said.

2025 Ivor Novello winners in full

Best album: Who Am I, written and performed by Berwyn
Best contemporary song: Circumnavigating Georgia, written and performed by Sans Soucis
Best song musically and lyrically: Mine, written and performed by Orla Gartland
Most performed work: Stargazing, written by Peter Fenn, Jesse Fink and Myles Smith, and performed by Myles Smith
Rising star award: Lola Young
Best original fim score: The Substance, composed by Raffertie
Best original video game score: Farewell North, composed by John Konsolakis
Best television soundtrack: True Detective: Night Country, composed by Vince Pope
Academy fellowship: Bono, the Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr for U2
Outstanding song collection: Kele Okereke, Russell Lissack, Gordon Moakes and Matt Tong for Bloc Party
Icon award: Robbie Williams
Songwriter of the year: Charli xcx
Special international award: Brandon Flowers
Visionary award: Self Esteem