Many of you have been searching high and low for news, and here it is! We‚a4‚¬‚a4„re happy to announce the Crunchies are here once again and we‚a4‚¬‚a4„re taking nominations!

The Crunchies Awards celebrate the best technology achievements of 2010 and we are pleased to have GigaOm and VentureBeat co-hosts the event with us once again. We may compete fiercely for scoops every day, but once a year we all come together as a community to celebrate startups and the year&'s great technology accomplishments. And you, our readers, help determine who can vie for, and ultimately win, the various prizes.

The Crunchies will be held on January 21, 2011 at a new venue, the landmark Palace of Fine Arts Complex. The awards ceremony will be begin at 7:30 pm at the Palace of Fine Arts Theater with the After Party to follow at the Exploratorium until 11:30 pm. Tickets will be released in batches starting December 15. Keep an eye on TechCrunch as they sell out quickly.

To make the Crunchies possible, we need you! Since our readers help determine the ultimate winner of the coveted gorilla award, we need you to get out there and nominate the best startups, apps, entrepreneurs, and investors in 20 different categories. Nominations open today and will close Friday night, December 24 at midnight PST. Self-nominations are welcome.

The Crunchies Committee will then choose five finalists per category based on the top nominees and their notable accomplishments in 2010. Popular voting for selected Finalists will begin January 3 and close Wednesday evening, January 19, 2011 at midnight PST. Click here to read the full rules. You may nominate and vote once per day in each category.

View the full list of the previous Finalists and winners from 2009 here, 2008 here and 2007 here.

The Crunchies After-party is a great way to reconnect with friends and kick off the New Year in style. You won‚a4‚¬‚a4„t want to miss the entertainment and other surprises we have planned. Our sponsors help make the Crunchies happen, if you are interested in learning more about sponsorship opportunities during the ceremony or after-party, please contact Jeanne Logozzo or Heather Harde. For press credentials, please fill out this request form and confirmations will be sent separately via email.

So go ahead, nominate the best startups and products of 2010, and we hope to see you at the Crunchies!