[Originally published by Josh Bernoff on the Groundswell blog.]

We first started the Forrester Groundswell awards in 2007. What a great run! We've seen applications like the one that the amazing Pete Williams used to raise a million dollars for recovery from Australian brush fires and the one that remade the rules for NASCAR. And for the people who created these award-winning applications, the awards have given them the recognition that helps them justify the great work they do.

This year, we're expanding them to match up to the expanding role that social applications play in business. It also means you have more ways to win.

We've got:

• New geographies. We are recognizing B2C entries in both North America and internationally.
• New categories. There are now mobile categories in both geographies.
• B2B awards. As we did last year, we will recognize entries for B2B separately.
• A whole new management division. We now have three awards for applications aimed at employees.
• More places to recognize winners. We'll be giving out awards in Washington, DC at Forrester's Content & Collaboration Forum (Management division), Chicago at Forrester's Consumer Forum (B2C North America division) and London at the Forrester's Marketing & Strategy Forum EMEA (B2C International Division).

If you've got something worth rewarding, here's what you should do:

1. Build a great application. Frankly, if you haven't built it by now, it's probably too late. So I guess this should be "Recognize that you have built a great application." Anything social or mobile can qualify.
2. Read the rules. Please read the rules. People who read the rules and follow them win. The ones who don't are wasting their time. Honest -- they're pretty simple rules.
3. Prepare your entry completed by August 27, 2010. That's the deadline; don't say we didn't warn you. But submit early so people can vote on your entry. (If you are deadline-challenged, read this and learn.)
4. On your own site or elsewhere on the Web, create a “My Forrester Groundswell awards submission” page or document describing your application. Also include a single screenshot that represents the application. You'll need to put URLs for these into the entry.
5. Only submit your own work. Agencies and vendors can submit work they do for clients, provided they have obtained permission from the client. (This is your responsibility, please don't embarrass yourself in front of the client by posting without getting permission.)
6. Only post stuff that's public. Submissions go live within one business day and are open for ratings and reviews. If you put it into the entry, it's public and on the record.

Once you've read this and you're ready, go here to post your entry. As soon as we get a few, I'll start promoting them. I can't wait to see what you've come up with this year.