Harry Styles and Sam Fender among artists battling it out for Mercury Prize 2022

The winner will be announced at a ceremony held in the UK on Thursday

Harry Styles and Sam Fender are in the running for the 2022 Mercury Prize. Photo: EPA / AP

Harry Styles, Sam Fender and Little Simz are among the acts in the running for the prestigious Mercury Prize.

Ten of the 12 acts battling it out for the award, which recognises the best British album of the year, are nominated for the first time.

Former One Direction star turned solo artist Styles, 28, has received a nomination for his third studio album, Harry's House, while Little Simz has secured another Mercury prize nomination this year for Sometimes I Might be Introvert — having also featured in the 2019 shortlist with her album Grey Area.

Fender, 28, has been nominated for his second album Seventeen Going Under. He scooped the Brit award for best rock alternative act and was also awarded the Ivor Novello for best song musically and lyrically for his classic rock-inspired title track.

Also among the nominees are Wet Leg. Hailing from Isle of Wight, the duo made headlines with their Glastonbury performance earlier this year and have received a nomination for their self-titled debut album.

British pop singer Self Esteem has been nominated for her second studio album, Prioritise Pleasure, which was named the best album of 2021 by a number of outlets including The Guardian and The Sunday Times.

Rock duo Nova Twins have made the final cut of nominees for their album Supernova, while Scottish pianist Fergus McCreadie is nominated for album Forest Floor following the highly acclaimed Cairn released last year.

This year's awards show will feature a variety of live performances from all of the nominees apart from Styles, who will not be in attendance at Thursday evening's ceremony due to currently being on tour in the US.

In place of Styles attending the event in person, a filmed live performance will be shown to celebrate his album.

The show will be hosted by DJ and radio host Lauren Laverne, while Irish broadcaster and DJ Annie Mac will be the guest presenter.

Mac, 44, is also a member of the 2022 judging panel and will announce the overall winner of the 2022 Mercury Prize for Album of the Year.

Bafta-nominated actress Jessie Buckley, who recently won an Olivier award for best actress following her role as Sally Bowles in Cabaret, is also nominated for her debut album For All Our Days That Tear The Heart with Bernard Butler.

Also nominated are rapper Kojey Radical for Reason To Smile and Welsh musician Gwenno with album titled Tresor, which means treasure in Cornish. All but one of the songs on Gwenno's album are sung in Cornish, which was her first language growing up.

Completing the list of nominees is Leeds rock group Yard Act for their debut studio album, The Overload.

The judging panel that will select this year's winner includes musician Jamie Cullum, broadcaster Jamz Supernova, songwriter Anna Calvi, broadcaster Danielle Perry and musician Hazel Wilde, as well as Mac.

The winner will be crowned on Thursday at the Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith, with the awards being broadcast live on BBC Four and BBC 6 Music.

Both the TV and radio programmes will feature live performances from the nominated artists as they lead up to the announcement of this year's overall winner. The 6 Music programme will also play the winner's album in full following its reveal.

Last year, Arlo Parks won the Mercury Prize for her debut album Collapsed In Sunbeams.

- Reporting by PA