Year after year there have been disqualifications that didn't need to happen. If you're serious about competing, then there are a few things that you'll want to be sure you do.
1. READ THE RULES. Even if you've competed every single year, read all the rules available, beginning to end. One person was already disqualified because they submitted in the early hours of the contest without looking at the rules, and they submitted a wondrous item.
2. FOLLOW THE RULES. Format your item correctly. Don't do things your way, or use the Ultimate Equipment format because you like it better than the formatting in the Core Rulebook. Part of being a freelancer is being able to do what is requested of you. You can still be creative and follow the rules.
3. CHECK YOUR WORD COUNT. The submission entry form has an automatic word count. Preview your submission before you hit the "Submit" button. Owen has already said that there's no wiggle room on word count. If your item is awesome at 301 words, then it will be awesome in the discard pile.
4. GET YOUR SUBMISSION IN ON TIME. As you may have noticed, the Paizo site has been down in the last couple of days due to inclement weather. In years past there have been people that have submitted right at the deadline and for whatever technical reason, their submission did not process. Don't be that person. Finish your item and get it in with time to spare. There's nothing wrong with holding off so you have time to make edits, but there's also no reason you should be rushing to get your item in before the clock counts down either.
One more. This may not get you immediately disqualified, but it's a pet peeve of mine and happens every year.
5. DON'T MAKE A JOKE ITEM. (SERIOUSLY, JUST DON'T.) Your item should have a "Wow!" quality to it. It can wow with simplicity. It can wow with complexity. It can wow with elegance, originality, or expertise. What won't wow people is if your item is obviously meant to be a joke or--worse--based on a bad pun. If your item is a tooth, blue in color, that sticks in a person's ear and allows them to use message to contact other people...well, you've just wasted the time of the person reading your submission. This sort of item is made for the punchline of the joke, not to get into the Top 32.
One more to add to the list.
6. DON'T TALK ABOUT YOUR RPG SUPERSTAR ITEM. We're all excited about the contest. Spirits are high. Somewhere along the way you might see a post that sounds like it might be talking about your item in a roundabout way, and you really want them to go into more detail, and want to ask which item they mean. Don't respond.
Perhaps you're one of the lucky Top 32. You see people commenting on your item, and they seem to like it less than some of the others. You really want to make your case and defend the merits of your item. Don't do it.
If you compromise the anonymity of your item, it will be disqualified. Just keep quiet and concentrate on voting, or on finishing your Round 2 entry if you're in the Top 32. There will be plenty of time to discuss things later, when it won't earn you a disqualification.
Gah, you're right. I'm thinking of when the judges picked the top 32 and the public voted for the Top 16. Still...shush.
RPG Superstar 2010 Top 32, 2011 Top 16
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Marathon Voter Season 6, Marathon Voter Season 7, Dedicated Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9
aka Boxhead
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Seriously, still don't do it. You have better things to do with your time. If you hit a down swing of time, you can consider commenting, but honestly, read other people's work, do prep for the next round, re-read books, STAY AWAY FROM THE BOARDS. If you're doing well, it's easy to back off, if you're doing badly, it's easy to give up. Do yourself a favour, pretend it's just you in the competition, stay away from the boards, and just work away.
One more to add to the list.
6. DON'T TALK ABOUT YOUR RPG SUPERSTAR ITEM. We're all excited about the contest. Spirits are high. Somewhere along the way you might see a post that sounds like it might be talking about your item in a roundabout way, and you really want them to go into more detail, and want to ask which item they mean. Don't respond.
Perhaps you're one of the lucky Top 32. You see people commenting on your item, and they seem to like it less than some of the others. You really want to make your case and defend the merits of your item. Don't do it.
If you compromise the anonymity of your item, it will be disqualified. Just keep quiet and concentrate on voting, or on finishing your Round 2 entry if you're in the Top 32. There will be plenty of time to discuss things later, when it won't earn you a disqualification.
Question! If your item doesn't make the top 32, can you talk about it later?
The Critique My Item thread typically opens on the Wednesday after the Top 32 are revealed (giving them a day to have everything be about them). Anyone can post their item in there and a handful of folks usually offer really helpful critiques/thoughts.
A little over an hour before the deadline, and I'm seeing questions pop up that wouldn't need to be asked if people would just follow rule #1. I realize we live in the Internet generation, but if you want to be a great writer, you need to be able to read and comprehend.