The newspaper faces competition in the category from News of the World, the Daily Telegraph, the Sunday Mirror, the Daily Mirror and the Sunday Times.
Guardian writers David Leigh and Nick Davies have also been shortlisted for their work on the WikiLeaks and phone hacking stories in the News Reporter of the Year category. The Telegraph's Holly Watt was also shortlisted in the category for work including her coverage of remarks by business secretary Vince Cable to undercover reporters about the BSkyB takeover bid.
The Times received the most number of nominations for the awards with 18 entries, closely followed by the Guardian with 17.
The winner of the Cudlipp Award for excellence in popular journalism will be announced at a later date, according to a release from the Society of Editors, which is organising the awards with the Newspaper Publishers' Association.
The winners of the Journalists’ Charity’s special award, the award for International Reporter of the Year and the award for Newspaper of the Year will be announced at the awards ceremony on 5 April.
"The judges faced a formidable task and the rare privilege of reading thousands of words gathered together in brilliant entries that reflect the variety, vitality and sheer excellence of British newspapers which are of course the best in the world," Bob Satchwell, Society of Editors executive director and chairman of judges, said in a release.
"In some cases the entries were so strong in quality as well as numbers that it was simply impossible to choose only six for each shortlist.
"If only the public could see the combined efforts of all of our national newspapers in one go they would be as impressed as the judges by the rich and diverse treasures they contain as they inform, entertain and inspire their readers."
The awards also feature a prize for Digital Innovation of the Year, for which the Guardian's WIkiLeaks coverage has also made it onto the shortlist, as well as the Telegraph Media Groups general election coverage, iPad apps from the Times and Sunday Times and the Daily Mail's website Mail Online.
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