Ed Sheeran has been nominated for the 2017 Hyundai Mercury Prize Album of the Year Award.

Ed Sheeran

Ed Sheeran

The 'Shape Of You' hitmaker stormed the charts earlier this year when he dropped his third studio album '÷' - featuring his hits 'Castle on the Hill', 'What Do I Know' and 'Nancy Mulligan' - following a year away from the limelight, so it's hardly surprising that he's managed to wiggle his way on to the shortlist and be in with the chance of nabbing the gong for this year's prestigious event.

But the flame-haired hunk will have to beat off stiff competition from other musicians as he will go up against grime artist Stormzy for his debut LP 'Gang Signs & Prayer', songwriter Sampha - whose full name is Sampha Sisay - for his debut album 'Process' and The XX's 'I See You'.

The Big Moon will also go head-to-head with Ed for the prize thanks to their album 'Love in the 4th Dimension', while Loyle Carner - whose full name is Benjamin Gerard Coyle-Larner - also managed to secure a spot on the shortlist with his debut studio album 'Yesterday's Gone'.

alt-j are no doubt thrilled their LP 'Relaxed' will go up against some major acts, while Blossoms' self-titled album, Dinosaur's 'Together, As One', Glass Animals' 'How To Be A Human Being', Kate Tempest's 'Let Them Eat Chaos' and J Hus' 'Common Sense' have also made it on the shortlist.

The Mercury judging panel is made up of 12 industry figures, including musicians Marcus Mumford, Jessie Ware, Lianne La Havas and Jamie Cullum.

The judges said: "This year's Hyundai Mercury Prize shortlist celebrates the remarkable power of British music. What these artists have in common is an infectious pleasure in music making and an arresting sense of urgency about the music they make. They delight in exploring musical possibilities and refusing to be pinned down by genre conventions."

The awards show will take place on September 14 at the Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith, in London and will be broadcast on BBC Four and BBC Radio 6 Music.

The event will feature live performances from many of the shortlisted artists and the evening will culminate in the announcement of the overall winner of the 2017 Hyundai Mercury Prize. The winner will receive the prize money of £25,000.

Tickets for the 2017 Hyundai Mercury Prize Awards Show are on sale now from Eventimapollo.com.

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