Mobile ad optimizer and advertising company Smaato has revealed the VC partners and first set of nominees for the Smaato Mobile Advertising Award 2010. Publishers have time until end of day, August 20, to add their cool app or website to the growing list at www.smaato.com/award.

Nominated companies include AccuWeather.com, audioBoo, eBuddy Messenger, Flirtomatic, Foursquare, Fring, Google Sky Map, Layar, Lufthansa, Rummble, Shazam and Yelp. Mobile Marketing editor David Murphy is among the Awards judges.

The winner will secure a meeting with VCs Frank Boehnke from Wellington; Tim Chang (Norvest Ventures); Niall Davis (aeris CAPITAL); Tim Draper (Draper Fisher Jurvetson); Joerg Sievert (SAP Ventures); and Frédéric Veyssière (Innovacom).

Smaato will also invite the overall winner to exhibit at Mobile World Congress, in Barcelona, Spain in February 2011. Runners-up prizes include a stand at M-Days in Munich, Germany in January 2011; a stand at M-Publishing in New York in November 2010; handsets; and free tickets for Mobile World Congress.

“Since the success of last years Smaato Award, the mobile market has truly blossomed with innovative apps and websites,” says Smaato CEO, Ragnar Kruse. “The introduction of Apples iPad and the explosion of Android have given developers further scope and opportunity for innovation, and the nominations weve had so far are a testament to this. Its going to be an extremely tough job trying to pick the finalists for each category, let alone an overall winner!”

The award will honour mobile publishers or developers with an outstanding mobile ad-enabled solution in several categories, including Apple iOS, Google Android, Samsung Bada, Symbian, Windows Phone, RIM Blackberry, websites, branded games and mobile campaigns. Developers must provide a description of their website, application or game, plus a download location, along with screenshots. In addition, they may provide up to three PDF pages of supporting materials. There’s more information here.

The winners will be announced during CTIA San Francisco, which takes place from 6 – 8 October 2010.