Golden Globe Nominee Kate Winslet
Winslet won two Golden Globes in 2009 for Revolutionary Road and The Reader. Reuters

The best of British cinema will be flying the flag at next year's Golden Globes.

With the nominees announced today, British women dominate the best actress category, with Judi Dench, Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet winning nods for their leading roles in Philomena, Saving Mr. Banks and Labor Day, respectively.

Winslet, who won two Golden Globes in 2009 for the film Revolutionary Road and The Reader, said she was 'extremely surprised and absolutely thrilled' to be nominated.

Dench, Thomson and Winslet will be fighting off stiff competition from Australian actress Cate Blanchett and US star Sandra Bullock, who are also in the running for the coveted award for their films Blue Jasmine and space thriller Gravity.

And the men aren't far behind, with Brit actors Chiwetel Ejiofor and Idris Elba both nominated for two awards each.

With Oscar buzz rife, there are high hopes for Ejiofor, who has been nominated in the best actor in a motion picture category, in recognition of his powerful performance of a man sold to slavery in the critically acclaimed, 12 Years a Slave.

Commenting on the nomination Ejiofor said: "It is such a huge honour to be nominated for two Golden Globes and I would like to thank the members of the HFPA for this incredible recognition. The response to 12 Years A Slave and Dancing On The Edge from the public and media alike has been overwhelming and I am so very grateful.

"To have been a part of these amazing projects was a gift in itself, that the HFPA have responded in this way, truly means so much."

Chiwetel Ejiofor
Ejiofor said the Golden Globe nomination is a huge honour. Reuters

He faces tough competition from a fellow Brit, Idris Elba, the star of Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, not to mention US heavyweights Tom Hanks, for Captain Phillips, Robert Redford for All is Lost and Matthew McConaughey for Dallas Buyers.

Ejiofor and Elba have also each won nominations in the categories of best actor in a motion picture drama, as well as best actor in a TV mini series for their roles in Dancing on the Edge and Luther respectively.

British director of 12 Years a Slave, Steve McQueen is up against Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity, Paul Greengrass's Captain Phillips, Stephen Frears's Philomena and Ron Howard's Rush in the best motion picture category.

Meanwhile, Helena Bonham Carter has been recognised in the best actress in a TV mini-series for her performance as Elizabeth Taylor in BBC4 drama Burton & Taylor, while Helen Mirren and Sally Hawkins receive a nod for their roles in Phil Spector and the acclaimed Woody Allen film Blue Jasmine.

ITV period drama Downton Abbey has been nominated for best TV drama for the second year in a row.

A startling omission was The Butler, starring Oprah Winfrey and Oscar winner Forest Whitaker, which did not receive any nominations.

The winners of the 2014 Golden Globes will be revealed at the high profile ceremony to be staged at the Beverly Hilton, which kicks off awards season on 12 January 2014.

Proving a popular pairing last year, comediennes Tina Fey and Amy Poehler will host the event for the second year in a row.

The full list of film nominations for the 2014 Golden Globes follow below:

Best Motion Picture -Drama

"12 Years A Slave"
"Captain Phillips"
"Gravity"
"Philomena"
"Rush"

Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy

"American Hustle"
"Her"
"Inside Llewyn Davis"
"Nebraska"
"The Wolf Of Wall Street"

Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama

Chiwetel Ejiofor, "12 Years A Slave"
Idris Elba, "Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom"
Tom Hanks, "Captain Phillips"
Matthew McConaughey, "Dallas Buyers Club"
Robert Redford, "All Is Lost"

Best Actor- Motion Picture or Musical

Christian Bale, "American Hustle"
Bruce Dern, "Nebraska"
Leonardo DiCaprio, "The Wolf of Wall Street"
Oscar Isaac, "Inside Llewyn Davis"
Joaquin Phoenix, "Her"

Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama

Cate Blanchett, "Blue Jasmine"
Sandra Bullock, "Gravity"
Judi Dench, "Philomena"
Emma Thompson, "Saving Mr. Banks"
Kate Winslet, "Labor Day"

Best Actress- Motion Picture Musical or Comedy

Amy Adams, "American Hustle"
Julie Delpy, "Before Midnight"
Greta Gerwig, "Frances Ha"
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, "Enough Said"
Meryl Streep, "August: Osage County"

Best Supporting Actor

Barkhad Abdi, "Captain Phillips"
Daniel Bruhl, "Rush"
Bradley Cooper, "American Hustle"
Michael Fassbender, "12 Years A Slave"
Jared Leto, "Dallas Buyers Club"

Best Supporting Actress

Sally Hawkins, "Blue Jasmine"
Jennifer Lawrence, "American Hustle"
Lupita Nyong'o, "12 Years A Slave"
Julia Roberts, "August: Osage County"
June Squibb, "Nebraska"