The first round is an open round. The 150 judges nominate whomever they like. The short list of "nominees" is comprised of the artists who receive the most nominations in that open round.

What DS is suggesting is that the nominations in the first round, which will represent a much wider breadth than the eventual short list - should be published in order to counter the regular allegation that only a few "usual suspects" are ever nominated by the voting panel. The Froots awards publish all nominations as well as the winners, which means that the full scope of the judges' choices is available to anyone who is interested.