After the illustrious BAFTAs took place last week, the Brits have another prestige awards ceremony to keep us film fanatics hooked.

The popular film magazine Empire have announced their nominees for 2014 with several Oscar contenders and blockbusters battling it out for the top prizes.

The readers have made Peter Jackson’s fantasy sequel The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug the leading contender for this year with seven nominations including Best Film as well as acting mentions for Martin Freeman (who won his category last year), Richard Armitage and Evangeline Lilly.

The Best Film category also includes Oscar-favourites 12 Years a Slave, Captain Phillips and Gravity plus another fantasy sequel, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

Some of the biggest acting names are also in contention including Jennifer Lawrence (nominated twice for American Hustle and Catching Fire), Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Amy Adams, Cate Blanchett, Sandra Bullock and Emma Thompson.

There are some intriguing contenders to root for though having to pick either Adèle Exarchopoulos or Margot Robbie for Best Female Newcomer is just too damn hard! 😛

The Jameson Empire Awards will be presented on March 30th in London. You can vote for your winners on the Empire website.

The list of nominees are below (with my own choices in blue):

BEST MALE NEWCOMER (presented by Tresor Paris)
Aidan Turner – The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug
Barkhad Abdi – Captain Phillips
George MacKay – Sunshine On Leith
Oscar Isaac – Inside Llewyn Davis
Tye Sheridan – Mud
Will Poulter – We’re The Millers

BEST FEMALE NEWCOMER
Adèle Exarchopoulos – Blue Is The Warmest Colour
Antonia Thomas – Sunshine On Leith
Elizabeth Debicki – The Great Gatsby
Freya Mavor – Sunshine On Leith
Lupita Nyong’o – 12 Years A Slave
Margot Robbie – The Wolf Of Wall Street

BEST HORROR
A Field In England
The Conjuring
Evil Dead
World War Z
You’re Next

BEST COMEDY (presented by Magic 105.4)
Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues
This Is 40
This Is The End
The World’s End

BEST THRILLER
Captain Phillips
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Now You See Me
Prisoners
Trance

BEST SCI-FI/FANTASY (presented by MediCinema)
Gravity
The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Pacific Rim
Star Trek Into Darkness

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Daniel Brühl – Rush
Michael Fassbender – 12 Years A Slave
Sam Claflin – The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Richard Armitage – The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug
Tom Hiddleston – Thor: The Dark World

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Evangeline Lilly – The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug
Jennifer Lawrence – American Hustle
Lupita Nyong’o – 12 Years A Slave
Mia Wasikowska – Stoker
Sally Hawkins – Blue Jasmine

BEST BRITISH FILM
Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa
Filth
Rush
Sunshine On Leith
The World’s End

BEST ACTRESS
Amy Adams – American Hustle
Cate Blanchett – Blue Jasmine
Emma Thompson – Saving Mr. Banks
Jennifer Lawrence – The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Sandra Bullock – Gravity

BEST ACTOR
Chiwetel Ejiofor – 12 Years A Slave
James McAvoy – Filth
Leonardo DiCaprio – The Wolf Of Wall Street
Martin Freeman – The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug
Tom Hanks – Captain Phillips

BEST DIRECTOR (presented by Air New Zealand)
Alfonso Cuarón – Gravity
Edgar Wright – The World’s End
Paul Greengrass – Captain Phillips
Peter Jackson – The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug
Steve McQueen – 12 Years A Slave

BEST FILM (presented by Sky Movies)
12 Years A Slave
Captain Phillips
Gravity
The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire