While the rest of the nation tucks into turkey and readies the Christmas lights, Hollywood celebrates a holiday season of a different sort. November through February marks that special time of year when trade papers and billboards bear festive "For Your Consideration" ads, and studios spend countless hours planning and campaigning, all in the name of landing that elusive yet coveted kudos: awards nominations.

The acting races this year have exciting and unexpected contenders—comedian Mo'Nique's searing, dramatically hefty performance in "Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire," for instance—but those in the running are going to need to strategize to make it to the podium.

"It's essential to have an awards campaign fully funded and backed by a top-notch campaign professional in order to be nominated and win an award," said Tom O'Neil, a columnist for the Los Angeles Times' awards site, The Envelope. Referring to the Screen Actors Guild Awards and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Oscars, he said, "There are only 2,100 members of the SAG nominating committee. There are 1,300 members of the Academy acting branch. It's possible to meet all of these people and actually woo them."

Studios typically mount campaigns for whomever they deem worthy contenders, though sometimes actors will go off on their own and hire an outside entity, like a publicity firm, to handle an individual campaign. Whatever the case, a strong campaign involves several components—DVD screeners, ads, Q&A sessions in front of awards voters—and must be managed carefully.

"Very often, whoever's out of the gate first matters," noted O'Neil. In 2006, "For example, 'Little Miss Sunshine' was the first DVD screener sent, and Alan Arkin ended up winning best supporting actor."

For acting award hopefuls, becoming known and well-liked by their fellow thespians—the voters—is also key. Hollywood Reporter senior writer Steven Zeitchik, who covers film, cites 2008's best-actress showdown between Marion Cotillard ("La Vie en Rose") and Julie Christie ("Away From Her"). Though Christie was the early front-runner—and walked away with the SAG Award at the beginning of awards season—Cotillard edged her way ahead and eventually nabbed the Oscar.

"You had two non-Americans who aren't based in Hollywood," explained Zeitchik. "Julie Christie is obviously very beloved but doesn't really play the game. Cotillard, I think, was respected for her performance but no one really knew her. And Cotillard just came and charmed everyone at one event after another, and she gradually accrued votes. I think that's a case where you can see how presence on the scene can really make a difference."

Recessionomics

Of course, one of the big questions looming over this awards season has to do with the sorry state of the economy. Studios have been tightening their belts these past months in hopes of avoiding financial collapse. Will that affect the heavy campaigning we're accustomed to seeing around this time of year?

"There is definitely a pullback because of the economy," said David Poland, editor-in-chief of Movie City News. "Even studios that have candidates that are considered to be virtually locks are cutting back on their budgets or being very slow to start their campaigns. There are studios that are financially tight right now that just don't want to spend tens of millions of dollars—which is what a campaign can cost—going out there with a movie they're not so sure about, or even one they think they can get nominations for. The ego part of it has been diminished by the need to not lose your shirt."

Poland points to a film like "Precious," which is already a favorite for multiple nominations, as an example. "Even though 'Precious' is all over the place and they're doing a lot of promotional and publicity work, they're not spending a ton of money in advertising yet," he said. "They don't know what the box office is going to be."

Zeitchik, however, noted that the season may simply be starting later because the Oscars themselves are later—March instead of February—and some key contenders, like the Weinstein Co.'s "Nine," aren't coming out until the end of the year. "I think every year there's talk of a pullback and then, more often than not, it doesn't materialize," he said. "Does that mean that studios are going to be as completely profligate in their spending as they once were? Are they going to campaign for every last movie and every last performance? No."

But given that the Oscars, at least, have a new twist this year—10 best-picture nominations instead of the traditional five—Zeitchik also thinks we might see a broader range of campaigns, for movies that might not traditionally be recognized. "It's kind of opened up the field for everyone, even though the number of acting nominations will remain constant," he said. "It's just a case where more studios and more films feel like they're in the mix."

Going Indie

While a pullback in awards-season campaigning may or may not materialize, one thing remains clear: Thespians of the nonfamous working-actor type have to engage the campaign-trail monster in some way in order to be legitimate contenders.

Last year, Melissa Leo earned multiple nods for her devastating work in the festival hit "Frozen River." Though she has built a well-respected body of work over the last two and a half decades, Leo isn't exactly a household name. "She would not have gotten recognized if Sony Pictures Classics had not aggressively pushed her," said O'Neil. " 'Frozen River' was the first DVD shipped last year to Oscar voters. She was first out of the gate, and it made all the difference for her, because she went the distance and got an Oscar nomination."

Poland noted that Leo had also already built up plenty of goodwill in the industry—and ultimately, voters genuinely loved her performance. "She made herself available, did a lot of screenings, and in the end people really liked the movie," he said. "The truth is, in the actor categories, there are generally one or two of those slots that are pretty open to somebody coming in and just being great."

And that's why, he said, awards voters should be bold with their choices. Campaigns aside, sometimes the unexpected can happen when you go with your heart. "Writing and acting are the places where you see the most variations from the big best-picture races," Poland said. "Actors and the writers tend to write their own stories. Somebody like Melissa Leo, who the actors decide to embrace, can be turned into a candidate purely out of the fact that actors love her and embrace the performance. More than other races, the actors really should be encouraged to take chances in terms of who they're going to support, because they can make things happen that you would not expect."