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The Brit Awards has announced the nominees for its 2013 annual awards at a launch event from the Savoy Hotel in London. Folk-rock band Mumford & Sons, Scottish singer Emeli Sande, and the indie-rock quartet of alt-J lead the pack with the most number of nominations this year.

Mumford & Sons pick up three nominations for Best British Group, Best British Live Act and MasterCard British Album of the Year for their latest studio effort "Babel". Also vying for the Album of the Year honor is Emeli Sande's "Our Version of Events", the year's top-selling album in the U.K.

Sande, whose tracks "Next to Me" and "Beneath Your Beautiful" are both nominated for Best Single, also gets the nod for Best Female Solo Artist. Going head-to-head with Mumford & Sons for the British Group and Album of the Year awards is newcomer alt-J, who earn a third nomination for Best British Breakthrough Act.

Other supposedly bigger names like British pop superstar Robbie Williams and the massively popular One Direction don't fare as well as expected, with each getting only one nod from the Brit Awards' voting academy. Williams' latest track "Candy" is up for Best Single, while the British-Irish boyband are strong contenders for Best British Group.

Rock legend The Rolling Stones get nominated again after 36 years for Best British Live Act. They will be battling it out with Coldplay, Muse, The Vaccines and fan favorite Mumford & Sons.

The 2013 Brit Awards Nominations List: British Breakthrough Act

• alt-J
• Ben Howard
• Jake Bugg
• Jessie Ware
• Rita Ora

• Amy Winehouse
• Bat for Lashes
• Emeli Sande
• Jessie Ware
• Paloma Faith

• alt-J
• Mumford & Sons
• Muse
• One Direction
• The xx

• The Rolling Stones
• Coldplay
• Mumford & Sons
• Muse
• The Vaccines

• Ben Howard
• Calvin Harris
• Olly Murs
• Richard Hawley
• Plan B

• Mumford & Sons
• Adele
• One Direction

• Damon Albarn
• Jake Gosling
• Paul Epworth

• Adele, "Skyfall"
• Alex Clare, "Too Close"
• Coldplay and Rihanna, "Princess of China"
• Rita Ora / DJ Fresh, "Hot Right Now"
• Emeli Sande, "Next to Me"
• Florence and the Machine, "Spectrum"
• James Arthur, "Impossible"
• Jessie J, "Domino"
• Labrinth ft. Emeli Sande, "Beneath Your Beautiful"
• Olly Murs, "Troublemaker"
• Rita Ora, "RIP"
• Rizzle Kicks, "Mama Do the Hump"
• Robbie Williams, "Candy"
• Rudimental, "Feel the Love"
• Stooshe, "Black Heart"

• War Child

• Tom Odell

• Rihanna
• Alicia Keys
• Cat Power
• Lana Del Rey
• Taylor Swift

• Alabama Shakes
• The Black Keys
• Fun.
• The Killers
• The Script

• Bruce Springsteen
• Frank Ocean
• Gotye
• Jack White
• Michael Buble

• alt-J, "An Awesome Wave"
• Emeli Sande, "Our Version of Events"
• Mumford & Sons, "Babel"
• Paloma Faith, "Fall to Grace"
• Plan B, "Ill Manors"