PJ Harvey wins UK's Mercury Prize for best album

Mercury Prize nominee PJ Harvey poses as she arrives at the 2011 Mercury Prize award in London September 6, 2011.[Photo/Agencies]

English musician PJ Harvey won the 2011 Barclaycard Mercury Prize for best album on Tuesday with "Let England Shake," becoming the first artist in the award's 20-year history to win it twice, organizers said.

Harvey, who also won in 2001 with "Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea," beat out 11 other nominees including chart queen Adele and another previous winner Elbow.

The winning album was partly inspired by Harvey's reaction to the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the 41-year-old had long been the bookmakers' favorite to scoop the annual trophy.

Harvey, who is now on tour with her live band, recorded the album in a 19th century church in Dorset, Britain, her representatives said in a statement.

The prize, which has gone to a wide range of musical genres since it began in 1992, honors music by British or Irish artists and is based solely on the music on the album.

Electronic band the xx won the 2010 Mercury Prize for their debut album, "The xx."

The shortlist for this year's award was as follows:

Adele - 21

Anna Calvi - Anna Calvi

Elbow - Build A Rocket Boys!

Everything Everything - Man Alive

Ghostpoet - Peanut Butter Blues and Melancholy Jam

Gwilym Simcock - Good Days At Schloss Elmau

James Blake - James Blake

Katy B - On A Mission

King Creosote & Jon Hopkins - Diamond Mine

Metronomy - The English Riviera

PJ Harvey - Let England Shake

Tinie Tempah - Disc-Overy