You have less than eight weeks left to enter the MM&M Awards. Give yourself the best chance of success by following our checklist of Dos and Don’ts. Good luck!

DO enter in the first place. As obvious as it sounds, you ­really do have to be in it to win it. And the deadline (April 25, 2014) will come around before you know it.

DO abide by the rules. General entry rules and specific ­category requirements can be found in the Entry Kit which you can download at awards.mmm-online.com.

DO keep your summary short, sweet and results-focused. Our judges appreciate thoughtful, impactful entries that demonstrate results.

DO submit marketing budgets and ROI data where ­appropriate. If you really want to stand out, particularly in the more strategic categories, then you’ve got to prove to the judges that you moved the needle. (Don’t worry, we won’t publish this data if you ask us not to.)

DO assemble your supporting materials wisely, where these are permitted. We are expecting to receive several hundred submissions, so don’t send us everything you have or you risk overwhelming our judges.

DON’T assume the awards are only for the big companies and brands. Size really doesn’t matter to our judges; small, nimble agencies and lesser-known brands have often beaten out the big boys in years past.

DON’T blind us with jargon. Our judges are seasoned marketing executives, agency principals and industry thought leaders. They’ll see straight through marketing speak and unsubstantiated hype. Pitch them on the merits of your campaign using clear and simple communication.

DON’T assume the judges are superhuman. They work tirelessly to review your submissions but it is unlikely they will have time to go through reams and reams of superfluous information. So before you send your entry, try to put yourself in the shoes of the judges and imagine what it would be like to view your submission for the first time and have to score it in a limited period of time.

DON’T charge the intern with assembling your submission. Give it your personal attention. Make sure it’s done right. Because if you don’t, the judges will probably notice.

DON’T do it at the last minute. As with any marketing campaign, the more thought you put into it, the better your chance of success.

Entry information: awards.mmm-online.com