EDINBURGH band Young Fathers are in the running for a top music award.

The hip hop trio have been shortlisted for the prestigious Mercury Music Prize for their latest album, Dead.

The shortlist of 12, selected from more than 220 entries, was announced yesterday at an event in Covent Garden.

The winner will be announced at an awards ceremony at the Roundhouse in London on October 29.

The band comprises Alloysious Massaquoi, who is originally from Liberia but moved to Edinburgh when he was four; "G" Hastings, who grew up in the Drylaw scheme in north Edinburgh; and Kayus Bankole, who was born in Edinburgh to Nigerian parents and has also lived in the United States and Nigeria.

Simon Frith, chairman of judges, said: "This year's Barclaycard Mercury Prize shortlist confirms that these are fascinating times for UK music.

"There are seven outstanding debut albums here, and five records by more established artists, all pursuing exciting new directions. What most impressed the judges was the inventive passion with which musicians explore music and emotional possibilities, refusing to be pinned down by rules or genre."

The Barclaycard Mercury Prize celebrates a year in UK music. Previous winners include Primal Scream, Franz Ferdinand and the Arctic Monkeys.

Also shortlisted are Anna Calvi, Bombay Bicycle Club, See You Tomorrow, Damon Albarn, East India Youth, FKA twigs, GoGo Penguin, Jungle, Kate Tempes, Nick Mulvey, Polar Bear, and Royal Blood.