The 3D blockbuster received nods in the Best Film and Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy categories, while Cameron is in the running for the Best Director prize. The movie's stars Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana are each tipped in the Best Actor/Actress category.

Fighting it out with Worthington are Sir Michael Caine (Harry Brown), Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds), Robert Pattinson (The Twilight Saga: New Moon) and Robert Downey Jr. (Sherlock Holmes).

Saldana is up against Anne-Marie Duff (Nowhere Boy), Carey Mulligan (An Education), Emily Blunt (The Young Victoria) and Melanie Laurent (Inglourious Basterds).

Cameron will go head-to-head with ex-wife Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker) in the Best Director list, as well as Neil Blomkamp (District 9), JJ Abrams (Star Trek) and Quentin Tarantino (Inglourious Basterds).

The former couple's movies are also facing each other in the Best Film category; they'll fight it out with Star Trek, District 9 and Inglourious Basterds.

The awards will take place in London on 28 March (10).

Avatar landed two Golden Globes last month (Jan10), two British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Awards last week (21Feb10) and has received nine nominations at the upcoming Oscars on 7 March (10).