Royal Blood, Damon Albarn + FKA twigs Nominated for 2014 Mercury Prize

The U.K.'s annual Mercury Prize is one of the most celebrated awards in music, and pretty much the highest honor in the British music community. The award is judged by a whole slew of industry figures -- from critics to DJs to musicians themselves. This year, Royal Blood, Damon Albarn and FKA twigs, among nine other artists, have all been nominated. Check out the full list below.

“The 2014 Barclaycard Mercury Prize shortlist confirms that these are fascinating times for U.K. music," says Simon Frith, the chairman of the judging board. “There are seven outstanding debut albums here, and five records by more established artists, all pursuing exciting new directions. What most impressed the judges was the inventive passion with which musicians explore music and emotional possibilities, refusing to be pinned down by rules or genre.”

Previous winners of the prestigious award have ranged from Arctic Mokeys to Pulp to last year's victor, Alt-J. Get all the details about this year's Mercury Prize nominees here.

2014 Mercury Prize Nominees
Anna Calvi -- 'One Breath'
Bombay Bicycle Club -- 'So Long, See You Tomorrow'
Damon Albarn -- 'Everyday Robots'
East India Youth -- 'Total Strife Forever'
FKA twigs -- 'LP1'
GoGo Penguin -- 'v2.0'
Jungle -- 'Jungle'
Kate Tempest -- 'Everybody Down'
Nick Mulvey -- 'First Mind'
Polar Bear -- 'In Each and Every One'
Royal Blood -- 'Royal Blood'
Young Fathers - 'Dead'