Airlock Alpha is looking to fill up its international nominating committee for the 2010 Portal Awards, one of the first and biggest online awards programs where fans get a true voice on who gets honored, and who doesn't.

The Portal Awards were started as the SyFy Genre Awards in 1999, and have since attracted more than a million ballots as fans vote for their favorite actors, television shows, episodes, movies, Web series and more. This year's Portal Awards have added its first new category since 2007, the Rod Serling Award, honoring a classic series of science-fiction that has helped shape what we see today.

Being a part of the nominating committee is a big deal. Members of the committee look through a long list of potential nominees collected between June 1, 2009 and May 31, 2010. They can discuss various potential nominees, campaign for certain people, shows or movies to be nominated, and submit a nominating ballot that will have a direct impact on who of the hundreds of potential nominees will make the final list.

Even if you don't watch a lot of television or movies, the committee always is looking to have the most diverse opinions possible (plus, you can always nominate shows and movies that other committee members and even readers have been promoting as a way to honor them).

Not everyone who applies to the Portal Awards International Nominating Committee will make it on, sadly. But you'll never make it on if you don't try.

Simply send an e-mail to me at mhinman@airlockalpha.com with your name, where you're from, and why you should be on the committee. Include some of your favorite shows and movies of the past year (there are no wrong answers to these questions, but how you answer them will determine whether you make it on the 2010 committee).

Don't waste time! Deadline to submit your application to the nominating committee is March 23.

Voting for the Portal Awards begins June 25, and lasts 30 days until July 25, where readers and visitors can vote once per day for 30 days.

Last year, "Supernatural" on The CW repeated as winner of the Best Series/Television category, with star Jensen Ackles winning Best Actor/Television. Also winning were Catherine Tate from "Doctor Who" for Best Actress/Television, Michael Emerson of "Lost" repeating as Best Supporting Actor/Television, and Summer Glau from "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" for Best Supporting Actress/Television.

Winning in the movie category was "Star Trek," barely edging "The Dark Knight." Heath Ledger from the latter movie won Best Actor/Movie while Gillian Anderson from "The X-Files: I Want To Believe" won Best Actress/Television.

Finally, "Avatar" director James Cameron won the Gene Roddenberry Award for lifetime achievement.