With nominees in more than 70 categories battling for a coveted title and their own gilded gramophone, the night is sure to be full of triumph, defeat and surprises.

As always, there are several categories in which the winner should be obvious to most, but this year there are just as many that have been leaving everyone guessing.

Album of the Year

Nominated:
“21” – Adele
“Wasting Light” – Foo Fighters
“Born This Way” – Lady Gaga
“Doo-Wops & Hooligans” – Bruno Mars
“Loud” – Rihanna

Will win: “21” – Adele

The Album of the Year category is stacked this time around with five truly incredible albums, all of which are deserving of recognition. But only one can be named the best, and my prediction is Adele’s second studio album, “21,” will be victorious.

I have yet to succumb to what I like to call “Adele Fever,” and I think that puts me in the minority. The British singer-songwriter has become one of the most well-known artists of today, and her latest album, which was released in January 2011, features some of the her most famed work, including “Rolling in the Deep” and “Set Fire to the Rain.”

Although 2011 was a knockout year for many of the other nominees in this category, such as the Foo Fighters, who put out one of their best albums ever last April, I think everyone is outshined by Adele’s immense success.

Song of the Year

Nominated:

“All of the Lights” – Kanye West, Rihanna, Kid Cudi and Fergie
“The Cave” – Mumford & Sons
“Grenade” – Bruno Mars
“Holocene” – Bon Iver
“Rolling in the Deep” – Adele

Will win: “Rolling in the Deep” – Adele

Looking at the nominees in the category, I immediately can eliminate three choices — “All of the Lights,” “Grenade” and “Holocene.” Although they all are good songs, they just aren’t strong enough to compete with the category’s top contenders — “The Cave” and “Rolling in the Deep.”

Adele was on fire in 2011, and “Rolling in the Deep” — her first No. 1 song in the U.S. — is just one of the many tracks that helped her reach stardom, which is why I think it will beat out “The Cave” for song of the year.

Although “The Cave” reached a similar level of popularity as its competition, I don’t think Mumford & Sons have reached the same celebrity status as Adele yet.

Best New Artist

Nominated:
The Band Perry
Bon Iver
J. Cole
Nicki Minaj
Skrillex

Will win: Nicki Minaj

Last year brought to light many talented new artists, but one in particular seems to have come out on top of the rest.

With her chart-topping hits and collaborations with various big-time rap artists, such as Drake, Kanye West and Jay-Z, Young Money rapper Nicki Minaj is sure to take the title of best new artist.

Although Minaj probably is the most well-known among all the nominees, to me, she’s just another rap artist who happens to have a unique sound and image. She’s had her fair share of achievements, but Skrillex’s claim to fame puts him on an entirely different level — which is why I think he is more deserving of the title. The solo artist is responsible for the extreme burst in popularity of electronic and dubstep music among today’s youth, and, to me, was much more influential in 2011 than Minaj was or probably ever will be.

Producer of the Year, Non-classical

Nominated:
Danger Mouse
Paul Epworth
The Smeezingtons
Ryan Tedder
Butch Vig

Will win: Paul Epworth

He might not be my first choice, but it’s inevitable that Paul Epworth will walk away with the title of Producer of the Year on Sunday night.

As the man who produced “Rolling in the Deep” — the tune nominated for Song of the Year and Best Short Form Music Video — Epworth associated himself with one of the biggest songs and artists of today.

In addition to working closely with the superstar Adele, Epworth also worked with two more of last year’s most popular artists — Foster the People and Cee-Lo Green — making his résumé more impressive than the other nominees’.

Although he only is credited with producing one memorable album last year, Butch Vig, who is responsible for the Foo Fighters “Wasting Light,” has my vote.

Best Short Form Music Video

Nominated:
“Rolling in the Deep” – Adele
“Yes I Know” – Memory Tapes
“All Is Not Lost” – OK Go
“Lotus Flower” – Radiohead
“First Of The Year” (Equinox) – Skrillex
“Perform This Way” – Weird Al Yankovic

Will win: “First Of The Year” (Equinox) – Skrillex

The Best Short Form Music Video category is one of the only areas in which I think the competition is tough enough to keep Adele out of the running. While “Rolling in the Deep” was one of last year’s most talked about songs, the music video for the phenomenon falls short.

The video for “First Of The Year,” by Skrillex, on the other hand, more than does the song justice. It creates an eerie tale to go along with the intense beats of the track, making it much more compelling and interesting to watch than Adele’s video in which she spends most of the time sitting in a chair.