The next poet laureate could be from a black and minority ethnic (BAME) background, amid calls from poets for the new appointment to reflect Prince Charles's 'multicultural Britain'.
The current holder of the position, Carol Ann Duffy, is due to step down from the 10-year role at the end of this month and her replacement will remain a royal appointment.
A list has been submitted to Buckingham Palace by Downing Street and lifelong poetry fan the Prince of Wales is said to be closely monitoring the process, the Times reported.
The next poet laureate could be from a black and minority ethnic (BAME) background, with Prince Charles apparently keen that the new occupant reflects multicultural Britain
Charles is known to admire the work of BAME poets, and Sir Jonathan Bate, provost of Worcester College, Oxford, described the prince as 'passionately committed to poetry'.
He said: 'Charles does see himself as the future monarch of a very multicultural Britain and, of course, many of our most interesting poets do come from ethnic minorities.'
Poet Daljit Nagra, the son of Indian immigrants who uses a colourful mix of Punjabi and English - or Punglish - is one contender for the role.
Poet Daljit Nagra, the son of Indian immigrants who uses a colourful mix of Punjnabi and English - or Punglish - is one contender for the role
Other BAME names mentioned include Pakistani-born Imtiaz Dharker, the winner of the Queen's gold medal for poetry and Lemn Sissay, who sold his first poetry to Lancashire miners on strike.
Sissay is the son of an Ethiopian woman who came to Britain to study from Ethiopia in 1966 to study.
Last year, Jackie Kay, Scotland's poet laureate, told The Guardian that black and ethnic minority poets should be considered to replace Duffy.
Kay, whose father was Nigerian, cited the work of Sissay and Dharker and also named Benjamin Zephaniah and Patience Agbabi as names who should be added to the list.
'It would be inspiring and exciting to have a black poet laureate,' she added.
John Agard, who was born in Guyana and came to Britain in 1977, said it was about time that the laureate was black.
He said that rather than a black poet being seen as part of 'a cabinet of curiosities', they were part of 'the British fabric of being, it's not an anomaly'.
With Charles's coronation as monarch on the horizon in the next decade - given the age of the Queen, 92, and Prince Philip, 97 - the selection committee which compiled the shortlist is understood to have discussed the prospect and the emotions it could provoke.
They may still go for a specialist in the traditional verse of the likes of William Wordsworth and Alfred Tennyson, but could equally opt for a modern voice and the new laureate could perform at Charles' ceremony.
Another contender is Lemn Sissay, the son of an Ethiopian immigrant who sold his first poetry to Lancashire miners on strike
Clarence House told MailOnline that 'the Prince of Wales has had absolutely no involvement in this process at any stage'.
However, the future monarch may be taking a keen interest because the new laureate's poems could be about him.
Republican poet Benjamin Zephaniah has previously criticised Charles's involvement in public affairs and ruled himself out of contention for the laureateship by tweeting: 'I won't work for them. They oppress me, they upset me, and they are not worthy.'
The compilation of the shortlist had the help of a 15-strong 'steering group' featuring the heads of poetry organisations, literary festivals and libraries around the country.
Other BAME names mentioned include Pakistani-born Imtiaz Dharker, the winner of the Queen's gold medal for poetry, pictured above (second from right) with current poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy (centre)
The best-known poet laureates
Alfred, Lord Tennyson - from 1850 until his death in 1892
Alfred, Lord Tennyson, wrote the celebrated Charge Of The Light Brigade
Tennyson was born in in August 1809, in Somersby, Lincolnshire, where his alcoholic father was rector.
His parents separated when he was a teenager and he grew up fearful of mental illness and worried about money.
He was extremely short-sighted and needed a monocle to be able to see to eat.
The mixed reception of his 1832 poems hurt him deeply but the success of two volumes published in 1842 changed his fortunes.
In 1845 he received a Civil List pension, which enabled him to marry.
With the success of The Princess and In Memoriam he became the most popular poet of the Victorian period.
Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria, greatly admired his work, and Tennyson later dedicated The Idylls Of The King to Albert's memory.
At Queen Victoria's insistence, he accepted a peerage, which he had previously turned down when it was offered by both Gladstone and Disraeli.
The Charge Of The Light Brigade was written in 1854, only minutes after Tennyson had read a newspaper account of the battle which contained the line 'Someone had blundered' - which he then incorporated into what became the most famous poem about war until World War I.
Sir John Betjeman - from 1927 until his death in 1984
Sir John Betjeman was one of Britain's most celebrated poet laureates
Sir John Betjeman was born in London on August 28, 1906, was one of Britain's most popular poet laureates as well as a much-loved figure on British television.
Much of his work satirised the promoters of what he saw as destructive 'progress' and he devoted much of his time to defending Victorian architecture.
He published his first collection of poetry and first book on architecture, Ghastly Good Taste, in 1933.
Betjeman wrote four more volumes of poetry before the publication of hisCollected Poems in 1958.
His later works included HIgh and Low (1966), A Nip In The Air (1974), Church Poems (1981) and Uncollected Poems (1982).
His celebration of Britain's heritage proved popular with a British public which had recently been through the upheaval of the Second World War and the austerity it imposed.
He was knighted in 1969 and succeeded Cecil Day-Lewis as poet laureate in 1972.
Ted Hughes - from 1984 until his death in 1998
Ted Hughes was regarded as one of the best poets of his generation
Ted Hughes, born in August 1930 in the village of Mytholmroyd in the West Riding of Yorkshire, was regarded as one of the best poets of his generation.
Also a celebrated writer, Hughes published numerous works of fiction and poetry collections, including best-selling volumes such as Lupercal (1960), Crow (1970), Selected Poems 1957-81 (1982) and The Birthday Letters (1998).
He also wrote the much-loved children's book The Iron Man (1968), about the arrival of a giant 'metal man' of unknown origin who befriends a small boy and defends the world from a dragon from outer space. It was later used as the basis for animated 1999 film The Iron Giant.
Hughes was married to American poet and author Sylvia Plath from 1956 until her death from suicide in 1963.
They then met cultural department officials before Number 10 was handed their recommendations.
However, the post does remain a royal appointment and final approval rests only with the Queen.
Charles's love of the poetry of Ted Hughes, who served as laureate from 1984 until his death in 1998, extended to him erecting a 'shrine' to the writer at his home.
Current laureate Carol Ann Duffy is paid £5,750 a year for her role, despite it not entailing any specific duties
Bate said the prince 'worshipped' Hughes and regarded him as a mentor.
He added that the prince once told him how 'wonderful' it was to sit at Hughes's feet and listen to him.
Current laureate Carol Ann Duffy is paid £5,750 a year for her role, despite it not entailing any specific duties.
She was criticised in 2016 for opting to write a poem about gas meters rather than pen one for the Queen's 90th birthday celebrations.
Duffy reportedly only wrote a poem for the weddings of Princes William and Harry after much pressure was applied.
She once also refused to write a poem for Prince Edward and his wife Sophie, saying that 'no self-respecting poet should have to'.
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