Sam Smith, Ed Sheeran Lead Brit Award Nominations

Sam Smith beat his good friend Ed Sheeran as the two biggest-selling U.K. acts of 2014 led the field for largely unsurprising Brit Award nominations.

Smith picked up five noms for British breakthrough act, best British male solo artist, best British single and best video for “Stay With Me,” and best British album for In The Lonely Hour. 

Sheeran, who was also Spotify U.K.’s most-streamed artist on 2014, picks up four noms, including best British male solo artist, best British single and best video for “Thinking Out Loud,” and best British album for X.

George Ezra also picked up four awards, including best British breakthrough, best British male solo artist, best British single for “Budapest” and best British album for Wanted on Voyage. 

Elsewhere, global boy band phenomenon One Direction picked up nominations for best video and best British group, the latter category featuring a heavyweight line up of Coldplay, Grammy nominated Alt-J and the critically acclaimed Royal Blood and Clean Bandit. 

The Brit Awards are the U.K.’s most prestigious music awards and the nominees and winners are decided by ballot, with voters a mixture of music industry members and the general public. The awards take place on Feb. 25, and the awards ceremony will feature already announced performances from Taylor Swift, Smith and Sheeran. 

Here’s a full list of categories and nominations:

BRITISH MALE SOLO ARTIST
Damon Albarn
Ed Sheeran
George Ezra
Paolo Nutini
Sam Smith

BRITISH FEMALE SOLO ARTIST
Ella Henderson
FKA Twigs
Jessie Ware
Lily Allen
Paloma Faith

BRITISH GROUP
Alt-J
Clean Bandit
Coldplay
One Direction
Royal Blood

BRITISH BREAKTHROUGH ACT
Chvrches
FKA Twigs
George Ezra
Royal Blood
Sam Smith

CRITICS’ CHOICE
James Bay
George The Poet
Years & Years

BRITISH SINGLE
Calvin Harris – “Summer”
Clean Bandit ft. Jess Glynne – “Rather Be”
Duke Dumont ft. Jax Jones – “I Got U”
Ed Sheeran – “Thinking Out Loud”
Ella Henderson – “Ghost”
George Ezra – “Budapest”
Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars – “Uptown Funk”
Route 94 ft. Jess Glynne – “My Love”
Sam Smith – “Stay With Me”
Sigma – “Nobody to Love”

MASTERCARD BRITISH ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Alt-J – This Is All Yours
Ed Sheeran – x
George Ezra – Wanted on Voyage
Royal Blood – Royal Blood
Sam Smith – In the Lonely Hour

BRITISH PRODUCER OF THE YEAR
Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory
Flood
Jake Gosling
Paul Epworth

BRITISH ARTIST VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Calvin Harris – “Summer”
Charli XCX – “Boom Clap”
Duke Dumont ft. Jax Jones – “I Got U”
Ed Sheeran – “Thinking Out Loud”
Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars – “Uptown Funk”
One Direction – “You & I”
Rita Ora – “I Will Never Let You Down”
Route 94 ft. Jess Glynne – “My Love”
Sam Smith – “Stay With Me”
Sigma – “Nobody to Love”

INTERNATIONAL MALE SOLO ARTIST
Beck
Hozier
Jack White
John Legend
Pharrell Williams

INTERNATIONAL FEMALE SOLO ARTIST
Beyonce
Lana Del Rey
Sia
St. Vincent
Taylor Swift

INTERNATIONAL GROUP
5 Seconds of Summer
Black Keys
First Aid Kit
Foo Fighters
The War On Drugs