PJ Harvey could make Mercury Prize history

Singer-songwriter PJ Harvey could become the first act to win the Mercury Prize twice if she proves the bookies right and picks up the award at tonight's event.

She is in the running for her acclaimed album Let England Shake which has been installed as the 11/8 favourite.

Harvey, who won in 2001 for Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea, said her latest album was influenced by current and past conflicts including the Gallipoli campaign of the First World War.

Head of judges Simon Frith described her as "an outstanding artist".

Next favourite is another female singer-songwriter - Anna Calvi - popular with critics and bookmakers alike.

The London-based singer has been championed by producer Brian Eno and praised for her dark, passionate on-stage style.

Record-breaking star Adele has also bagged a nomination to go with the clutch of awards she has picked up this year.

Her second album, 21, is already the biggest-selling album of the year and set a new record for an unbroken 11-week stint at the top of the charts.

It is the second time Adele has been up for the prize, with her debut 19 missing out in 2008 to Elbow's The Seldom Seen Kid.

The overall winner of the 2011 prize will be revealed at a ceremony at the Grosvenor House Hotel in central London tonight and be broadcast live on BBC Two.

The shortlist also includes double Brit winner Tinie Tempah who is nominated for Disc-Overy.

The Mercury Prize - won last year by The XX - is held in high esteem within the industry, but more importantly it can boost sales of nominees and winners.

It revitalised the career of Elbow, this year nominated for Build A Rocket Boys!, when they won three years ago.

Among the acts shortlisted for their debut albums are Everything Everything, Katy B, dubstep producer James Blake and rapper Ghostpoet.

Among the acts to miss out on a nomination are previous winners Arctic Monkeys and Radiohead, who have been up for the prize for their past three releases.

The prize usually includes a nod to jazz and folk artists and this year is no exception. Jazz hopes are carried by pianist Gwilym Simcock, while the folk interest comes from the collaboration between King Creosote - Scottish musician Kenny Anderson - and Jon Hopkins.

Also included in the list is Metronomy, nominated for their album The English Riviera.

Mr Frith said he was "happy" with the shortlist.

He said he had been surprised by several of the records including James Blake, adding: "He is a kind of trendy figure that I had read about but the record is much more intimate and odd than I had expected from what I had read."

Mr Frith said Adele's album was "astonishing" and described Tinie Tempah's Disc-Overy as "irresistible".

He said: "I've never played that record to anyone who didn't say 'I want to listen to that again'."

Several of the acts are known to each other with both James Blake and Katy B graduates of Goldsmiths College in New Cross, south London. Adele and Katy B also attended the Brit School in Croydon together.

Gennaro Castaldo of retail chain HMV said the effect of being shortlisted cannot be overestimated.

He said: "The increased exposure in record stores and in the media can have a hugely galvanising effect on demand for your music - both for your CDs and downloads, which can easily more than double or treble overnight and see your chart position surge."

The full list of nominees is as follows:

:: Anna Calvi - Anna Calvi

:: Adele - 21

:: Katy B - On A Mission

:: Metronomy - The English Riviera

:: Everything Everything - Man Alive

:: King Creosote & Jon Hopkins - Diamond Mine

:: Tinie Tempah - Disc-Overy

:: James Blake - James Blake

:: PJ Harvey - Let England Shake

:: Ghostpoet - Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam

:: Elbow - Build A Rocket Boys!

:: Gwilym Simcock - Good Days at Schloss Elmau