Vodafone has launched Vodafone Mobile Clicks 2010, a competition to identify and develop the best, most innovative mobile internet start-ups. The competition will run across three European markets – the UK, Netherlands and Portugal.

The contest is open to any start-up with a great idea for a mobile site, service or application, with a €150,000 (£126,000) prize fund on offer. Entries can be submitted to www.vodafonemobileclicks.com immediately. The closing date for entries is midnight, 22 August, 2010. Each entry will be judged on five criteria: originality, creativity and innovation; technical and operational feasibility; economic and financial viability; value to end-users; and the quality of the management team.

The judging will take place over three rounds. Each competing market will draw up a shortlist of their five best local submissions. A winner will be selected from each shortlist, and finally, all local winners will be invited to represent their country in a live final at the PICNIC Festival in Holland on 24 September, 2010, where the overall winner will be chosen by a panel of mobile industry experts, including Om Malik, founder of the GigaOM Network, and Rudy de Waele, founder of Mobile 2.0 Europe and Mobile Monday Barcelona/Madrid.

Previous Vodafone Mobile Clicks winners include Augmented Reality firm Layar, which has seen 20 per cent month-on-month growth this year, and which recently announced a strategic partnership with handset makers LG and Samsung.

“Through initiatives like Vodafone Mobile Clicks and our wider developer outreach programme, we’re finding ways to help stimulate, grow and commercialise the innovation that is at the heart of the mobile ecosystem,” says Lee Epting, director of content services at Vodafone Group. “Vodafone Mobile Clicks is really about empowering ambitious, young start-ups to develop their ideas and accelerate them into market. I’m excited to be judging another year of inspiring entries from entrants across Europe.”