The Streets leads eclectic shortlist for Novellos

One is an urban rapper who has been hailed as England's answer to Eminem. The other is a conglomerate of world famous stars determined to eradicate global poverty.

One is an urban rapper who has been hailed as England's answer to Eminem. The other is a conglomerate of world famous stars determined to eradicate global poverty.

Mike Skinner from the Streets and Band Aid 20 yesterday topped the short-list for the Ivor Novello awards having each received double nominations.

The prestigious ceremony, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, unveiled a suitably eclectic mix of songs, musicians and soundtracks among the nominations.

Skinner's The Streets made the short-list for Best Contemporary Song with "Blinded By The Lights". He was also selected for the Best Song of 2004 which he will battle out with Natasha Bedingfield and Keane.

Band Aid 20's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" featuring the likes of Will Young, The Darkness and the Sugababes, has been nominated for Best-Selling UK Single of the Year.

The track will also battle against U2's "Vertigo" and Limp Bizkit's "Behind Blue Eyes" for International Hit of the Year at next month's awards ceremony.

The track "Take Me Out" by Franz Ferdinand, the Glasgow rockers, was competing against The Streets for Best Contemporary Song.

They were both up for the award against "For Lovers", the track sung by Wolfman and featuring Pete Doherty, the troubled former singer of The Libertines.

One of the more unexpected nominees was Michelle McManus, the Pop Idol winner, who appeared to have disappeared from view in recent months. Her debut single "All This Time" has been nominated for the Best-Selling UK Single category.

She was up against Eric Prydz's version of "Call On Me", a track that made chart history recently by reaching number one on the back of 23,500 sales - the lowest since records began 36 years ago.

The gong for Most Performed Work was open to George Michael's "Amazing", Britney Spears' "Toxic" and Jamelia's "Thank You".

The best song of 2004 will be fought out between Bedingfield, with "These Words", the Streets' "Dry Your Eyes" and Keane, for the hit ballad "Everybody's Changing".

In the category of Best Original Film Score, nominations include the soundtrack of Deep Blue by George Fenton, Man on Fire by Harry Gregson-Williams and Enduring Love by Jeremy Sams,

In the equivalent award for television, Paul Leonard-Morgan who composed the music for Fallen was up against Martin Phipps of North and South and Rob Lane with his soundtrack for Blackpool.

The prestigious awards ceremony is annually held in honour of Ivor Novello, the Welsh actor, composer and playwright who was one of Britain's biggest stage and screen stars in the early 20th century before his death in 1951.

The 2005 ceremony is poised to be a landmark year for the event as it celebrates its 50th birthday. It was in 1955 - four years after his death - that the first Ivor Novello awards took place.

The first winners included "Ev'rywhere", written by Tolchard Evans and Larry Khan, as the Most Popular Song.

This year, the winnners will be announced on the night of the ceremony, which will take place at London's Grosvenor Park hotel in Park Lane on 26 May.