Ivor Novello Awards 2023: full list of nominations - from Harry Styles to Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill

Harry Styles and his songwriting partner Kid Harpoon lead the way ahead of The Ivors with three nominations each. The pop superstar, who enjoyed a standout 2022 featuring number ones and a sell-out world tour, secured two nods for his work on single As It Was, for Most Performed Work and Best Song Musically and Lyrically.

The pair also secured a nomination for songwriter of the year.

Singer-songwriter Cleopatra Nikolic, better known by her stage name Cleo Sol, and record producer Inflo (Dean Josiah Cover), also scored three nominations for their work with mysterious musical collective SAULT and Brit Award-winning rapper Little Simz.

Florence Welch, Ed Sheeran, rapper Knucks, Tyler Johnson, Johnny McDaid of Snow Patrol, and The Flight follow with two nods apiece.

The Ivors recognise the work of songwriters and composers across nine categories and have been running since 1956. This year, 72 individual songwriters and composers have received nominations, with 54% getting a nod for the first time.

After experiencing a global resurgence in popularity following its use in Netflix series Stranger Things, Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill has been nominated in the PRS For Music Most Performed Work category.

Tom Gray, chairman of The Ivors Academy, said: “The music nominated for an Ivor Novello this year is testament to the power and range of British and Irish songwriting and screen composing. It’s a superlative list and, on behalf of The Ivors Academy, I’m delighted to congratulate every writer nominated for their craft and achievements.”

The winners will be announced at Grosvenor House in London on Thursday May 18.

The full list of nominations

This is the full list of nominations for the Ivor Novello Awards 2023.

Songwriter of the Year with Amazon Music

• Central Cee and Young Chens
• Florence Welch 
• George Daniel and Matty Healy
• Harry Styles and Kid Harpoon
• Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers

Rising Star Award with Amazon Music

• Cat Burns
• Ines Dunn
• Tendai 
• Venbee
• Victoria Canal

Best Album

• 11 – performed by SAULT
• No Thank You – performed by Little Simz
• Skinty Fia – performed by Fontaines D.C
• Some Nights I Dream of Doors – performed by Obongjayar
• The Car – performed by Arctic Monkeys

Best Contemporary Song

• Cold Summer – performed by Wesley Joseph
• Escapism – performed by RAYE & 070 Shake
• Hide & Seek – performed by Stormzy
• Leon the Professional – performed by Knucks
• Payback – performed by Kojey Radical ft. Knucks

Best Original Film Score

• Avatar: The Way of Water – composed by Simon Franglen
• Death on the Nile – composed by Patrick Doyle
• Don’t Worry Darling – composed by John Powell
• Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris – composed by Rael Jones
• The Electrical Life of Louis Wain – composed by Arthur Sharpe 

Best Original Video Game Score

• Gotham Knights – composed by The Flight
• Horizon Forbidden West – composed by Joris de Man, Oleksa Lozowchuk and The Flight
• Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope – composed by Gareth Coker, Grant Kirkhope and Yoko Shimomura

Best Song Musically and Lyrically 

• As It Was – performed by Harry Styles
• Best Day of My Life – performed by Tom Odell
• Complex – performed by Katie Gregson-Macleod
• King – performed by Florence + The Machine
• Stronger – performed by SAULT

Best Television Soundtrack

• Bad Sisters – composed by PJ Harvey and Tim Phillips
• Elizabeth: The Unseen Queen – composed by David Schweitzer
• The Midwich Cuckoos – composed by Hannah Peel
• The Responder – composed by Matthew Herbert
• The Thief, His WIfe and the Canoe – composed by Harry Escott and Ben Pearson

PRS For Music Most Performed Work

• As It Was – performed by Harry Styles
• Bad Habits – performed by Ed Sheeran
• Heat Waves – performed by Glass Animals 
• Running Up That Hill – performed by Kate Bush
• Shivers – performed by Ed Sheeran