Unsigned songwriter up for Ivor Novello Award!

The nominations for this year's Ivor Novello Awards for songwriting were recently revealed. Prevalent artists include The Ting Tings and Duffy, who have three nominations each, alongside Mercury Music prize winners Elbow, who are up for two.

Of course, the big story around this year involves The Leisure Society, (pictured above) a relatively obscure unsigned band who will compete with The Last Shadow Puppets and Elbow (pictured below) in the category of Best Song Musically & Lyrically with their song The last of the melting snow.

The band's songwriter, Nick Hemming currently alternates between singing in the band and working in a factory. Hemming, aged 35, told the BBC in an interview: "It hadn't even crossed my mind- so I sent it in literally a couple of days before the closing date and never thought about it again until a couple of weeks ago. When I got the letter through the door, I thought it was some kind of wind up".

Here are the complete nominations:

Best Song Musically & Lyrically:

The Last Shadow Puppets - My Mistakes Were Made For You
Elbow - One Day Like This
The Leisure Society - The Last Of The Melting Snow

Best Contemporary Song:

Dizzee Rascal - Dance Wiv Me
Elbow - Grounds For Divorce
The Ting Tings - That's Not My Name

Best Original Film Score:

David Arnold - Quantum of Solace
Benjamin Wallfisch - The Escapist
Jonny Greenwood - There Will Be Blood

Best Television Soundtrack

Ben Bartlett - Fiona's Story
Anne Dudley - Trial and Retribution 2008
Julian Nott - Wallace and Gromit (A Matter of Loaf and Death)

PRS For Music Most Performed Work

Duffy - Mercy
Gabriella Cilmi - Sweet About Me
Coldplay - Viva La Vida

Best Selling British Song

Duffy - Mercy
MIA - Paper Planes
Coldplay - Viva La Vida

Album Award

Duffy - Rockferry
Coldplay - Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends
The Ting Tings - We Started Nothing

The annual Ivor Novella awards are judged and presented by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors .

Have your say: Have you heard the song? Does it deserve to be up there or not? This story certainly has an unpredictable and somewhat romanticised trajectory but what tangible opportunities will it lead to for the unsigned band? What are your thoughts on the rest of the nominations?