Lily Allen and Dizzee Rascal out in front for songwriting honours

Lily Allen and Dizzee Rascal lead the charge in this year's Ivor Novello Awards for songwriting, which are often called the honours musicians most covet.

They pick up two nominations each but in different categories so will not go head to head at the ceremony at Grosvenor House on May 20.
They shared a stage at Allen's final performances before her self-imposed break from music.

Bow-born Dizzee Rascal, 24, is up for best contemporary song with Bonkers and for best album for Tongue N' Cheek. The other contemporary song contenders are Daniel by Natasha Khan performing as Bat for Lashes and In For The Kill by Brixton duo La Roux, Ely Jackson and Ben Langmead.

Allen, also 24, is nominated twice for her hit single, The Fear, written with Greg Kurstin. It is up for best song musically and lyrically as well as most performed work.

Her rivals for best song include a fledgling London band, Patch William, a quartet of two brothers, Will and Ed Adlard, and friends.

Dizzee's rivals for best album are Paolo Nutini with Sunny Side Up and Neil Hannon and Thomas Walsh with their cricket tribute, The Duckworth Lewis Method. Hannon said they were "politely jubilant".

Full list of nominees for the 55th Ivor Novello Awards:
:: Best contemporary song - Dizzee Rascal, Bonkers; Daniel, Bat For Lashes; In For The Kill - La Roux.
:: Best song musically & lyrically - Save It For Someone Who Cares, The Leisure Society; The Fear, Lily Allen; The Last Bus, Patch William
:: Best television soundtrack - Desperate Romantics; Life; Red Riding 1974.
:: Album award - The Duckworth Lewis Method, The Duckworth Lewis Method; Sunny Side Up - Paolo Nutini; Tongue N' Cheek, Dizzee Rascal.
:: PRS for music most performed work - Broken Strings, James Morrison featuring Nelly Furtado; The Fear, Lily Allen; The Promise, Girls Aloud.
:: Best original film score - Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs; Skin; The Young Victoria.
:: Best original video game score - Empire: Total War; Killzone 2; Savage Moon: Waldgeist.