Australian comedian Hannah Gadsby will face off against entertainment superstars Beyonce, Bruce Springsteen and Paul McCartney for Emmy Awards after nominations were announced Wednesday morning (Australian time).

In the outstanding variety special category Gadsby’s comedy special, Nanette, is competing with Beyonce (Homecoming: A Film By Beyonce), Springsteen (Springsteen On Broadway), James Corden and McCartney (Carpool Karaoke: When Corden Met McCartney Live From Liverpool) and comedian Wanda Sykes (Wanda Sykes: Not Normal).

Nanette also faces Beyonce, Corden, McCartney, Sykes and other big names – Adam Sandler and Amy Schumer – in the outstanding writing for a variety special.

Brisbane-born production designer Deborah Riley, meanwhile, was part of Game of Thrones’ record 32 nods for its eighth and final season.

“Nominated for an Emmy! Well I’m pretty chuffed,” the comedian tweeted.

Australia’s Riley is no stranger to the Emmys, winning four production design or art direction gongs for Game of Thrones since joining the fantasy series in 2014.

The 46-year-old worked on Australian-made films The Matrix, Moulin Rouge! and Jindabyne before joining Game of Thrones and creating some of the most extravagant sets in TV history.

Australian cinematographer Zoe White was also nominated for her work on The Handmaid’s Tale.

Cinematographer Zoe White at work on the just-completed third series of The Handmaid’s Tale.

Currently shooting the third season of Westworld, White, 39, divides her time between her Sydney family home and her New York base.

She has been nominated for ‘Holly’, episode 12 from the second series of the Hulu-produced dramatisation of Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel.

Lena Headey, Sophie Turner, Gwendoline Christie and Maisie Williams took four of the six supporting actress slots as Game of Thrones trumped the all-time series record of 27 earned by NYPD Blue in 1994.

Nominated for an Emmy! Well I’m pretty chuffed. Hard to know what the boys make of it. I reckon they want Emmy to mean ‘food’ or ‘park’. Time will tell. pic.twitter.com/RkoRG5u96G

— Hannah Gadsby (@Hannahgadsby) July 16, 2019

Game of Thrones is nominated for best drama series against This Is Us, Ozark, Pose, Succession, Killing Eve, Bodyguard and Better Call Saul.

If Game of Thrones defends its best drama series title and claims a fourth trophy, it will join the quartet of most-honoured dramas that includes Hill Street Blues, LA Law, The West Wing and Mad Men.

Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke’s decision to seek a best actress nomination after a series of supporting actress bids paid off.

Clarke will vie for the Best Actress award for the first time: Photo: HBO

She’s competing in a category that’s notable for its diversity, including past winner Viola Davis for How to Get Away with Murder and repeat nominee Sandra Oh for Killing Eve, who has a second chance to become the first actress of Asian descent to win the trophy.

Last year’s best comedy series The Marvelous Mrs Maisel led the comedy pack with 20 bids, including for its star and defending champion Rachel Brosnahan.

She’ll vie with Emmy record-holder Julia Louis-Dreyfus of Veep, who didn’t compete in last year’s awards because her breast cancer treatment delayed production of the political satire.

Louis-Dreyfus, who with Cloris Leachman shares the record for most Emmys won by a performer at eight, has a shot at solo glory if she wins again.

Other top nominees include the nuclear disaster miniseries Chernobyl with 19 nominations and Saturday Night Live, which regularly employed Robert De Niro to play Robert Mueller last season, with 18.

When They See Us, the miniseries that dramatised the Central Park Five case and its aftermath, received 16 bids.

The 71st Emmy Awards will air on September 22, with the host yet to be announced.

See the full list of Emmy nominees here.

-with AAP