Manchester, England, singer/songwriter Badly Drawn Boy claimed the coveted Mercury Music Prize late Tuesday night at the Grosvenor House in London for his acclaimed debut LP, The Hour of Bewilderbeast.

Badly Drawn Boy (born Damon Gough) released the album in the UK in June, and it entered the albums chart at #13 despite its lack of a radio single. The Hour of Bewilderbeast is set for U.S. release on Oct. 3.

The Mercury Music Prize is Britain's most prestigious album award, given annually to one outstanding album released in the UK or Ireland. Talvin Singh's OK and Gomez's Bring It On have won the award in previous years. Badly Drawn Boy, a late favorite to win, beat out albums by Coldplay, Death in Vegas, Richard Ashcroft and Leftfield, along with seven others.

"I don't mind if it takes 20 years for people to realize how good an album this is," Gough said in his UK bio. "I totally didn't write it to fit in with what's going on, or is accepted, right now. I just wanted it to be considered as a classic piece of work."

Gough's wish came true on Tuesday, and according to his U.S. spokesperson, he took the stage to accept the prize and accidentally dropped his check for 20,000 pounds on the floor beneath the podium.

Badly Drawn Boy has received widespread praise for his four independently released EPs on his own Twisted Nerve label, along with the track "Nursery Rhyme," which he contributed to James Lavelle and DJ Shadow's revered UNKLE album, 1998's Psyence Fiction.

The Hour of Bewilderbeast, a raw, introspective and mostly acoustic album, garners comparisons to American wordsmith Elliott Smith's work.

"I wanted this to be our hour: not just mine, but everyone who's ever had that underdoggy feeling," Gough said of the album.

Badly Drawn Boy plans to tour North America in November, his spokesperson said.