Brit Awards: Amy Winehouse receives posthumous nomination for British female gong

Singer Amy Winehouse has been nominated for a Brit Award, nearly five years after her death, as a documentary about her life picked up an Oscar nomination.

This year's nominations were announced during the launch event titled The Brits Are Coming, which was held at and broadcast from ITV Studios in London.

The Back To Black singer is posthumously nominated in the British female solo artist category alongside Adele, Florence Welch, Jess Glynne and Laura Marling.

The nomination comes just hours after an Asif Kapadia-directed documentary entitled Amy was nominated for a best documentary feature Academy Award in Los Angeles.

Winehouse is able to be nominated because the soundtrack to the documentary was released and hit the Top 40 during the required dates for the award category.

Fellow solo female nominee, Adele leads the nominations, with nods in four categories

James Bay and Years & Years, who have also picked up four nominations.

Other nominees include Coldplay, who could make Brit Awards history if they win as it would secure them the most ever wins for British group and British album.

And The Eagles Of Death Metal, whose concert was targeted during the Paris attacks, are up against Irish band U2 in the international group category.

The Brit Awards 2016 will take place on February 24 at the O2 Arena in London and will feature performances from Coldplay, Justin Bieber and Adele.

The ceremony will include a special tribute for David Bowie, who died of cancer just days after celebrating his 69th birthday to honour his "extraordinary life and work".

Bowie was named best British male twice - in 1984 and 2014 - and received the outstanding contribution to British music award in 1996.