Both of these designs are visually appealing. The font style and color and the graphics are clean and polished. Also, the mixture of blue with a lighter and less drab shade of green remove the sense of "military-ness." That is good.
At the same time, they don't really mean anything to me or my potential customers. I think I see a reflection of the curvature of the earth in the graphic, which would connote geographic "reach." This is a good thing, but it is only one of many things that we might like to say to our customers. Plus, I doubt many of my customers would be able to discern this (vs. me, who lives and breathes this business).
I like the graphic in #9 better, as it seems to create an "M." If "MPA" could be depicted somehow, that would be a little better. At the same time, this would not be enough - by itself - to be great. The image would somehow have to show visitors to a website a little about what this business is or does (please refer to contest description). Also, it has to be at least a little bit fun. While ideals like trust and credibility are very important, we're not accountants or lawyers. We're just a Web 2.0 startup. Whereas #9 and #10 are just a little on the serious, boring side.
Thanks a lot for your submission. I look forward to seeing what else you might come up with!