Nominations for the 2010 Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, have been announced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in the US.

The science-fiction sensation "Avatar," and the Iraq war thriller "The Hurt Locker," were in the lead with nine nods apiece. The selections include Best Picture and Best Director for James Cameron and ex-wife Kathryn Bigelow. For the first time since 1943, the Oscars feature 10 top movie contenders, instead of the usual five.

Also nominated in the classification are "District Nine," "Up," "Inglorious Bastards," "The Blind Side," "Up In The Air," "A Serious Man," "An Education," and "Precious." Acting category nominees include: Jeff Bridges, George Clooney, Colin Firth, Morgan Freeman, Jeremy Renner, Sandra Bullock, Meryl Streep, Helen Mirren, Carey Mulligan, and Gabourey Sidibe.

List of 82nd Oscar nominations

The following is a list of nominations for the 82nd Academy Awards, which will be presented March 7 at the Kodak Theatre.

Best Picture (10 nominees)

--"Avatar," James Cameron and Jon Landau, producers

--"The Blind Side," nominees to be determined

--"District 9," Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham, producers

--"An Education," Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, producers

--"The Hurt Locker," nominees to be determined

--"Inglourious Basterds," Lawrence Bender, producer

--"Precious: Based on the Novel `Push' by Sapphire," Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness and Gary Magness, producers

--"A Serious Man," Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, producers

--"Up," Jonas Rivera, producer

--"Up in the Air," Daniel Dubiecki, Ivan Reitman and Jason Reitman,producers