Every summer we play host to the Forrester Groundswell Awards, a contest to find the best examples of social media success. This will be our fifth year running the awards (and my fourth year helping organize and judge entries), and I'm eager to see how far we've come in the industry. To see highlights of previous years, check out this earlier post on past Forrester Groundswell Award Winners.

These awards are a great opportunity for you (or your clients) to get recognized for your work. We publicly highlight the best applications here on the Forrester blogs, announce the winners at Forrester Conferences this fall, and often use many of the winning (and runner-up) entries in our research throughout the year. So if you want exposure for your success, it's an easy way to get your work in front of the masses.

So entering is easy, but how do you win? Here's a list – borrowed from the Forrester Groundswell Awards' creator, Josh Bernoff – to help give you the best chance:

1. Put numbers in your entry to demonstrate that your applications created business value.

2. Include a link to an online site where we can see how your application works.

3. Enter in a category where you can stand out: B2C, B2B, international, or corporate applications, with clear objectives.

4. Start now. The best entries take a while to prepare, and you may need to get your client's permission.

Get your case studies in line today and prepare to enter them online. As this post's title suggests, the deadline for entry is August 3rd and coming up quickly. Follow this link to enter and read this page covering the rules to find tips and tricks to success.

I look forward to reviewing your submissions and learning how far we've come with social success.