Awards and Indices

Meanwhile there are several thousand awards in the world wide web. Everybody may call himself an awardmaster and may grant awards to other sites. Most of those self-elected awardmasters do have only one thing in mind: To link their own website to other sites by means of granting awards and thus to attract more visitors to their own site.

In order to make this torrent of uncontrolled and arbitrarily granted awards more visible and distinguishable serious awardmasters try to separate from the masses and endeavour to get a membership in one of the elevated award indices.

Elevated Indices

In German speaking countries the German award index "Weisse Liste" (WL) of SolarisRA came into prominence. This seal has quite selected members. The conditions for a membership are quite easy to be fulfilled, however, great stress is put on their being adhered to. At present (June 2001) this has about 200 members.

Since spring 2001 the "International German Top Awards" (GTA) is existing in Germany. This index is structured as to being in a position to cover nearly the entire spectrum of granting awards. From the beginner as an awardmaster (level 1) up to the most exclusive level 6 all levels of performance in granting awards are offered. You may apply again and again for a higher level of performance, just similar to "Award Sites". The criteria of application are largely evident.

Having more than 1800 awards in membership a huge organisation is behind the American index "Awards Sites". According to the provisions an applicant may have, there are lower ratings of 1.0, 2.0, 2.5, middle-ranged ratings 3.0 and 3.5, and higher ratings of 4.0, 4.5, 5.0 - and lately even 5.0+.

Residing in Canada the "Awards Worksheet" of Don Chisholm offers around 600 registered awards from all over the world, and apart from this a free-of-charge worksheet for managing applications, a number of articles on awards presenting themes such as 'Best Indices', 'How to Win Awards', as well as resources and a lot more.

"United Award Givers" is a new Americanindex having quite different, yet complicated offers for awardmasters and levels rating from 1 to 10, and for award applicants, too, and will round the comprehensive offer of elevated international indices.

Exclusive Indices

In addition to the organisations mentioned having fixed minimum conditions for granting awards and permanently controlling their adhering to their criteria, there are some few exclusive indices. To them only top awardmasters are admitted, whose level of granting awards is above the average and who have their own and perfect web presentation. These indices excel through their permanent activity, careful attention of memberships and quality of conditions of admittance.

The "MetatroN - First Choice Award Index" undoubtedly is leading the exclusive indices in Germany. Without any exception all members of "MetatroN" are to be counted to the 'Crème de la Crème' of the awardmasters, and the one to whom an award is granted may be especially proud of his success. The strict rules of admittance of this index will guarantee that even in the future the high standard among the top indices will be maintained. Awardmasters from abroad will also be admitted so far as the conditions are fulfilled. In September 2001 the "MetatroN" had 44 members.

"Goldsiegel" and "MetatroniC" belong to the "Weiße Liste". Whoever proves true as a member of the "Weiße Liste", may be nominated bearer of the "Goldsiegel" and thus automatically will be member of "MetatroniC". You cannot apply for the "Goldsiegel". 31 bearers of the "Goldsiegel" were registered in September 2001.

From level 4 on you may speak of an exclusive rating. Levels 5 and 6 are absolute top levels and you may consider these sites to have apart from a professionally high quality of granting awards an own top web presence. Top awardmaster the will be considered as absolute top webmasters, too. German and English speaking websites are admitted. As this index is rather young it is still not possible to give any evidence as to the number of members. In September 2001 the "GTA" registered 172 members.

The award index"WHM" of the web witches and wizards, is a good address for elevated awardmasters. Many of the members are members of other top indices, too. This index is managed quite well, and the preparedness as to performance is permanently controlled. German websites and international websites having an award program in German are admitted as per strict criteria. The "WHM" had a total of 54 members in September 2001.

In America there is "Awards Sites" with its ratings 4.0, 4.5, 5.0 and 5.0+. This index is the greatest and most important index of the world. Only websites in English all over the world will be admitted. Beginning of September 2001 "Award Sites" counted 1881 registered awards.

"World Top Award" from Canada is the top index just because admittance to this index is only possible on the basis of a high ranking with certain other top indices. Levels 4.0 or 5.0 of "Award Sites" and e.g. for Germany "MetatroN", "MetatroniC", "GTA" or other exceptions are strict postulates for being registered with this top index. Members of the "World Top Awards" may be found all over the world and are selected by Don Chisholm according to very rigorous rules. In September 2001 there are 40 active members registered.

Other German Indices

Beyond the mentioned ones there are some few mostly rather young indices largely pursuing the same aims - not considering minor divergences - as the indices of quality mentioned above.

Their activities as well as their popularity still are not very distinct - up to now. Altogether it may to be considered that, in the course of time, the one or other of these indices might get a permanent place among the high quality indices of today.