The 2006 Mercury Prize nominees have been announced at a ceremony in London with a few obvious acts and some surprises too.

Arctic Monkeys, Muse, Thom Yoke, Hot Chip and Editors have all been nominated for their respective albums while Guillemots were also included in the list for their debut ‘Through The Windowpane’.

The usual eclecticism of the prize was kept up with nominations for Scritti Politti, Sway, Richard Hawley, Zoe Rahman and Isobel Campbell.

Noticeable absences from the list included Franz Ferdinand, The Streets and lady of the moment Lily Allen.

Last years prize was won by Antony and the Johnsons – this years winner will be announced at another London ceremony on September 5.

The full nominations list is:

Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan - Ballad Of The Broken Seas
Editors - The Back Room
Guillemots - Through The Windowpane
Richard Hawley - Coles Corner
Hot Chip - The Warning
Muse - Black Holes And Revelations
Zoe Rahman - Melting Pot
Lou Rhodes - Beloved One
Scritti Politti - White Bread, Black Beer
Sway - This Is My Demo