Awards and contests are a good way to get recognition as well as increased traffic. If your site fits an award site's particular criteria, why not nominate yourself.

Submit to Award Sites

A good place to start looking for award sites is Yahoo!'s Best of the Web category. Only submit your site to appropriate award sites and under the correct categories. Make sure to see if your particular region has its own award sites.

Submit to Contests

There are many strange and unique contests on the Internet where you may be able to showcase a particular skill, such as contests for animated GIFs. A good place to start your search may be the Yahoo! Computers and Internet > Contests category.