BBC Music Awards' British Artist of the Year nominees announced

The nominees for this year's British Album of the Year prize at the BBC Music Awards have been announced.

Adele, Jess Glynne, Coldplay, Calvin Harris and David Bowie are nominated, with Bowie being the first act to receive a posthumous nomination.

Despite picking up the award last year, Adele's 25 campaign has rolled on into 2016, and the album continues to break records. The album has become the fastest to reach three million sales, and spawned a further two Top 10 singles in 2016. Not to mention, Adele has also embarked on a sell-out world tour.

MORE: Adele's 25 one year on - 14 incredible chart facts

David Bowie's final album Blackstar was released in January, two days shy of David's shocking death from cancer at the age of 69. In addition to becoming his eleventh Number 1 album, Blackstar is the biggest selling album released in 2016.

MORE: The biggest Number 1 stars on the Official Albums Chart

The BBC Radio 2 Album of the Year category surprisingly omits Blackstar, and instead features nominations for Adele's 25, Michael Kiwanuka's Love & Hate, Coldplay's A Head Full of Dreams, ELO's Alone in the Universe and Rick Astley's 50.

Albums must have been released between 17 October 2015 and 16 October 2016 to be eligible for this year's BBC Music Awards, which takes place at ExCel London one week from today on December 12, 2016.

Acts shortlisted for Song of the Year will be announced in the coming days, while it has been announced that Izzy Bizu has been named BBC Introducing Artist of the Year.

Live performances at the event will come courtesy of Craig David, John Legend, Kaiser Chiefs and Robbie Williams, the latter of which will return to the BBC for 2016's New Year's Eve live concert.

Look back on 2016's Number 1 albums with our gallery below.