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London - PJ Harvey has won the 2011 Barclaycard Mercury Prize for best album with Let England Shake, becoming the first artist in the award's 20-year history to win it twice.
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' favourite 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, honours 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
