That may sound pretty obvious, but it is amazing how many people will submit their sites for awards before they are really ready. Of course, a site is always under construction. It is never really finished. So when your site is at a stage that you are happy with it, go through this check list. Make sure you have a content filled site.
Content is King.
Take Promotion World, for example. The only reason it has won so many awards, is because it is packed as full as it can be with content. Check for dead links. This is a biggie. There are a number of good, free link checkers out there.