Coldplay and Kaiser Chiefs are among those in the running for Britain’s Mercury Prize, as the nominees for the prestigious music award were announced Tuesday.

The shortlist of 12 albums, unveiled at a reception in London, represents an eclectic mix of genres including folk, jazz and rock, as well as the notable presence of up-and-coming artists.

“The renaissance in British music continues with the emergence of a wealth of new talents, demonstrated by the presence of eight debut albums on this year’s Nationwide Mercury Prize shortlist,” said chair of the judges Simon Frith.

The annual ?20,000 ($35,000 USD) prize honours the best album of the year by a U.K. or Irish act. Innovation, rather than commercial sales, is the deciding factor.

Leeds band Kaiser Chiefs are being tipped as the early favourites for the prize. Their debut album ?Employment? has been critically acclaimed, with the Mercury Prize jury describing it as ?brist(ling) with wit, melodies and eloquence.? The five-piece band recently landed gigs at Glastonbury and Live 8 in Philadelphia.

But they face stiff competition from Coldplay?s ?X&Y,? which sold 500,000 copies in its first week and is the U.K.?s second fastest-selling album of all time. The jury said of the band?s third album: ?Coldplay take on the world ? and win.?

Coldplay has been previously nominated twice for the prize.

According to Sky Showbiz, a spokesperson for HMV is describing the competition as ?the most open and high-profile Mercury contest ever.?

?Kaiser Chiefs are likely to win the populist vote ? but the strong indie-guitar theme to last year’s awards may count against them,? said Gennaro Castaldo.

?The million-dollar question is how the judges will react to Coldplay ? do they recognize the band’s efforts in producing the world’s biggest-selling album this year or do they penalize them??

Other acts with nominated debut albums include London post-punkers Bloc Party, dance artist M.I.A. (a.k.a. Maya Arulpragasam), and retro-tinged guitar band The Magic Numbers.

This year?s nominees were chosen by music industry experts and whittled down from 170 entries.

The winning album will be announced on Sept. 6 during a ceremony in London, which will broadcast live on BBC TV and radio.

Now in its 14th year, the prize?s previous winners include Dizzee Rascal, Ms. Dynamite, Pulp and Scottish rockers Franz Ferdinand, who won in 2004 with their self-titled debut album.

The full list of nominees are:
- Antony and the Johnsons ? ?I Am A Bird Now?
- Bloc Party ? ?Silent Alarm?
- Coldplay ? ?X&Y?
- The Go! Team ? ?Thunder, Lightning, Strike?
- Hard-Fi ? ?Stars of CCTV?
- KT Tunstall ? ?Eye to the Telescope?
- Kaiser Chiefs ? ?Employment?
- The Magic Numbers ? ?The Magic Numbers?
- Maximo Park ? ?A Certain Trigger?
- M.I.A. ? ?Arular?
- Polar Bear ? ?Held on the Tips of Fingers?
- Seth Lakeman ? ?Kitty Jay?






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