Irish singer-songwriter Lisa Hannigan is among the artists to be nominated for this year's Mercury Prize for the best British and Irish album of the past 12 months.

Hannigan, from Co Meath, has been nominated for her debut album Sea-Sew.

She joins Kasabian, who made the list for the first time with their third album West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum, Glasvegas, included for their eponymous first release, and Brit-winning Florence And The Machine, shortlisted for her first album Lungs.

The list of 12 releases — which tend to see a huge boost in sales as a result of inclusion — features one act which has previously been on the list, Bat For Lashes. However hotly-tipped acts such as Doves, White Lies and Little Boots have been snubbed by the judging panel for this year's award, officially called the Barclaycard Mercury Prize, which will be decided on September 8.

The list is dominated by debut releases — seven out of 12 — including Speech Therapy by south London rapper Speech Debelle, whose experiences living in hostels have infused her lyrics. Other debuts include the self-titled releases by electronic trio Friendly Fires and the chart duo La Roux.

The nominees are judged by an independent panel to be the key albums of the year regardless of how well they have sold.

Previous winners of the award have included Pulp, Franz Ferdinand and Klaxons. The prize has often been seen as a kiss of death for many acts who fail to find a commercially successful follow-up, but last year's winners Elbow notably bucked the trend. Their fourth album The Seldom Seen Kid has been their biggest release to date and completely revitalised their career.