YNOT EUROPE – After nearly six weeks of deliberations, the 10-member AVN Awards critics panel has released its list of nominees for 2012 honors. More than 1,600 people, companies and products vie for trophies in more than 130 video-, retail and internet-related categories.

Spanish male performer Nacho Vidal made an extraordinary showing for a European, picking up 12 nominations. The nods encompass not only Best Anal Sex Scene as Bobbi Starr’s partner in Shut Up and Fuck, but also several other role-related nominations, a mention for Male Performer of the Year and induction into the AVN Hall of Fame.

The 2012 ceremony, scheduled to take place Jan. 21 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, will present awards in several new categories. An AVN Awards spokesperson said the additions reflect “ever-evolving market trends of the business.” The new categories include Best Studio Website, Best Solo Girl Website, Best All-Sex Release – Mixed Format, Best Director – Parody and Best Celebrity Sex Tape.

Vivid Entertainment, one of the pioneers in the celebrity sex tape genre, dominated that category with six contenders from its Vivid Celeb line. Dream Zone Entertainment and new imprint Exquisite Celebrity scored nods as well. Vivid co-founder Steven Hirsch was singled out for individual recognition as the first recipient of the AVN Visionary Award. According to a spokesperson, the new award honors “[Hirsch’s] singular achievement in bringing adult into the mainstream sphere.”

Leading the pack for overall nominations, Evil Angel and its stable of directors collectively earned 114 nods. The newest member of the Evil Angel team, performer-director Bobbi Starr, earned a total of 16 noms for her work in front of and behind the camera: Best Actress (for New Sensations Romance’s A Little Part of Me), Best Anal Sex Scene (in her self-directed Shut Up and Fuck), Best Director – Non-Feature (for Shut Up and Fuck), Best Girl/Girl Sex Scene (in Elegant Angel Productions’ Prison Girls), Best Oral Sex Scene (in Jessica Drake’s Guide to Wicked Sex: Fellatio from Wicked Pictures), Best Supporting Actress (in New Sensations’ Scooby-Doo: A XXX Parody) and Female Performer of the Year.

Jules Jordan Video nips close at Evil Angel’s heels in terms of overall nominations with a total of 112, including a nod for Jordan himself as Director of the Year (Body of Work). The reigning victor in that category, parody king Axel Braun, arguably had an even better year this time around, with his Vivid release Spider-Man XXX: A Porn Parody racking up 16 nominations, the Axel Braun Productions title Elvis XXX: A Porn Parody (distributed by Vivid) scoring nine, and his Hustler Video effort This Ain’t Ghostbusters XXX 3D landing eight.

Fellow parody-smith Will Ryder earned 12 nominations for his New Sensations release The Flintstones: A XXX Parody and another 12 between his X-Play/Adam & Eve Pictures projects Beverly Hillbillies: A XXX Parody and Rocky XXX: A Parody Thriller!.

The most nods for a single title went to Wicked Pictures’ The Rocki Whore Picture Show: A Hardcore Parody. The titled earned a total of 18, including Best Actor (newcomer Mac Turner), Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography (Jake Jacobs), Best Director – Parody (Brad Armstrong), Best Editing (Scott Allen) and two mentions in Best Original Song (for the ditties “Fuck-a-Fuck-a” and “Oversexed Porn Star”).

On the web and technology side, Brazzers and Reality Kings tied for top spot with 24 nominations apiece, split between their efforts in video and internet-related categories. Internet pioneers Beth Mansfield (PersianKitty.com), Patrick (TheHun.net) and Shap (Twistys.com) will be inducted into the AVN Hall of Fame.

“I am extremely pleased with the nominations list our committee produced this year,” AVN Senior Editor Peter Warren said. “I’ve been a part of this process for nine years now, and I can honestly say I think this is the most thorough and rock-solid job we’ve ever done. I look forward to hearing everybody’s response to the nominations, and on behalf of the entire committee, I extend our warmest congratulations to everyone recognized.”

A complete list of 2012 nominations may be downloaded in PDF format here.

The 2012 AVN Awards will be hosted by adult luminaries Bree Olson and Sunny Leone—both nominated for Crossover Star of the Year—with comedian Dave Attell taking his second turn as the evening’s funnyman. For more information, visit AVNAwards.com.