The King's Speech could win an armful of Oscars at this year's Academy Awards, after the nominations were announced today.

Colin Firth is up for best actor for his role as stammering King George VI and Helena Bonham Carter is nominated for best supporting actress for her role as Queen Elizabeth in the film, set in Britain on the cusp of the Second World War.

Filmmaker Tom Hooper has been nominated for best director.

Welsh-born Christian Bale is up for best supporting actor for his role as a boxer-turned-crack addict in boxing movie The Fighter.

The King's Speech has a total of 12 nominations - more than any other film nominated for the 83rd Academy Awards.

British director Mike Leigh has a nomination for original screenplay for Another Year.

Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy are up for adapted screenplay for rock-climbing film 127 Hours.

Nominations in the top categories
Best film:
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech
127 Hours
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone

Best actor:
Colin Firth - The King's Speech
Javier Bardem - Biutiful
Jeff Bridges - True Grit
Jesse Eisenberg - The Social Network
James Franco - 127 Hours

Best supporting actor:
Christian Bale - The Fighter
John Hawkes - Winter's Bone
Jeremy Renner - The Town
Mark Ruffalo - The Kids Are All Right
Geoffrey Rush - The King's Speech

Best actress:
Annette Bening - The Kids Are All Right
Nicole Kidman - Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence - Winter's Bone
Natalie Portman - Black Swan
Michelle Williams - Blue Valentine

Best supporting actress:
Amy Adams - The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter - The King's Speech
Melissa Leo - The Fighter
Hailee Steinfeld - True Grit
Jacki Weaver - Animal Kingdom

Best director:
Black Swan - Darren Aronofsky
The Fighter - David O. Russell
The King's Speech - Tom Hooper
The Social Network - David Fincher
True Grit - Joel and Ethan Coen

Best documentary feature:
Exit Through The Gift Shop
Gasland
Inside Job
Restrepo
Waste Land

Best adapted screenplay:
127 Hours - Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy
The Social Network - Aaron Sorkin
Toy Story 3 - Michael Arndt, John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich
True Grit - Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
Winter's Bone - Debra Granik and Anne Rosellini

Best original screenplay:
Another Year - Mike Leigh
The Fighter - Scott Silver. Keith Dorrington, Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson.
Inception - Christopher Nolan
The Kids Are All Right - Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg
The King's Speech - David Seidler.