Design:

• There is no need to saturate a site with a continuous theme, in certain instances. The reviewer is more interested in design befitting the content and purpose of your site than in a single design theme throughout.



• Overall appeal is significant: Yet, on an individual site basis. Upon submission of your site, you will be asked about your target audience. Your design must reflect your intentions toward, and your understanding of, your target.



• Flow and functionality of design. Again, the relevance of your design to your purpose.



• Originality and Creativity: These hold major weight in your overall score on design. We are not interested in cookie-cutter design. It shows, not only, a lack or creativity and originality, but, a lack of passion for your purpose.



• Attention to Detail: The details are what separate the 'merely well-done' design from the 'truly great' design. We are looking for 'truly great' design.

 Content & Presentation:

• Spelling, grammer and vocabulary. Regardless of what your write it should be written well. These elements of content reflect resepect for your viewer, as well as, respect for yourself. Bluntly put, in this era of technology and education, no excuse exists for poor spelling and grammer.



• Original content abounds on the Internet. Make yours interesting, informative, and/or, useful. Allow your viewers to feel what you feel about that which you are writing! A vivid and interesting storyteller is captivating regardless of the story he tells.



• If you are citing facts, make certain that you cite your sources and give credit where it is due. Plagerism is abhorred in any form.



• If your content is from your personal experience, it can still be exceedingly interesting. Teach us something. Do not drone on and on without purpose.



• If there is content of a commentary nature on your site, this is fine. If this content is of a controversial nature, this is fine, as well. However, you must display notification so as to give a person the opportunity of choice before the content is displayed. Notice at the point of the link is preferable to notice at the top of the page of the possibly-offending information. Do not misconstrue "controversial" to mean discrimination because of age, color, race, national origin, or sexual orientation. This type of content is grounds for immediate disqualification.



• Personal commentary on commonly known topics and current events is acceptable. If your views are a bit 'off the wall' it is wise to, again, notify your visitor before exposing them to your opinions. It is your site, however, no one wants to be bombarded with conflict when they visit there. Consider your viewers.



• No matter what the content, show your passion for it; your knowledge of it; your devotion and belief in it!



• Make sure that your site is compliant with the regulations set forth in COPPA. The law applies only to sites directed at children. Even if your site is not aimed at children, you can never be sure that some young child will not find his way to your site. Although your site may be fairly benign in nature, it shows good taste and courtesy to others to display a warning if your content has any language which may be deemed unsuitable for young children. Display of a notice that your site is COPPA compliant in your privacy policy is admirable.
  
  Another benefit would be to register with a couple of the well-known content rating sites. Labelling your site, via meta tags, assists content search engines and filters, that many parents use, to find age appropriate content for their young ones. Two such sites are; I.C.R.A., the International Content Rating Associates and Safe Surf.

 Navigation:

• Should be always Plentiful and Available.



• Originality in navigation design is not a requirement. However, again, using ones imagination and creativity reflects your passion for your site and shows pride in what you are doing.



• Do you have Alternate forms of navigation present? You should always consider an alternate source of navigation. A visitor in a hurry, or, one without broadband, may not be able to enjoy your roll-overs in a timely manner. Simple textual links, on all of your pages, will eliminate any aggravation to visitors who want to examine your content, not your art.



• Dead and/or broken Links. These are greeted with gripes and grimaces from everyone who goes online. Not many online experiences can equal the same level of frustration as finally finding the link for which one has searched only to realize that it goes nowhere. Some times, it is not the webmaster's fault. It can be due to a server error or a glitch in Explorer. In this latter case, many times Explore does not like any links clicked before the page fully loads. Check your links often - especially if they are linked to outside sources - and make certain that all is working as it should. If, however, an external link is dead, it may not be due to any fault of yours. You will not be penalized. Internal Links, on the other hand, should always be working.



• Needless pop-up windows and re-directs of any kind. At times a pop-up window can display additional pertinent information and is more of an enhancement to your featured content than a nusance. Make certain this is the case with your pop-ups. Also, nothing should pop-up in a visitor's face unless they click something to invoke the pop-up. Exceptions here might be those small pop-up welcome messages that some sites use. However, do not ask for my name! As for a re-direct...again do not send a visitor to any other place, either on your site or off, unless they request that you do so. The exceptions here are only two: #1. You may send them to a Browser Compatible version of the page they are trying to view. And, #2. You may consider showing a visitor, who intends to download your original content which you have made available at your site, to your Terms of Use before sending them to those files if there are special rules that apply to their download and usegen of them.

 Diversity:

• Vary your content for added interest and site "stickiness".



• No rule says that you must have only content that is in direct relationship to your site purpose.



• Some sites may include areas of interest and/or entertainment. Perhaps some trivial facts on a little known subject of interest, or, a collection of simple games. These items will go a long way in keeping a visitor at your site, as well as, offer them a much needed break from pouring over much focused information on a particular subject.



• Diversity may be added to your graphical theme, as well. We are great advocates of the 'got-it-flaunt-it' school of thought in that, if you have a smashing idea for complimentary graphics for your site, use that idea. Put it into practice. Integrate your creative ideas into your site.



• Your site may be your main outlet for self-promotion. It should be maximized to get the utmost bang for your time and money. Why must an artist's site, for example, look like every other corporate site on the Internet, when what you are selling is your artistic ability, not stocks and bonds? It is possible to integrate many facets of your design and artistic ability in the most tasteful of ways. Even the most abstract art techniques are capable of tasteful presentation. Which brings us to the next topic...

 Applicable Professionalism:

• Respect and professionalism are vitally important factors for an income producing site whether you are selling art or stocks and bonds.



• One must emit professionalism in order to elicit it from others. Although this may seem redundant, it should be stressed that a site's purpose and intent must be expressed in the candor of its owner. Do not promise that which you cannot deliver.



• The unfortunate trend of outrageous claims, made by any and every one, have overshadowed the honest claims of the sincere business person to the point that clients are doubtful from the outset. Even if your site is for nothing more than entertainment and fun, it should be presented in the same light of openess and respectfulness of any other site.



• A word about Facts. Only that which has been, or may be, proven as fact may be stated as such. How many sites have you visited where its owner claims to be the best, or, the lowest-priced? They may believe this to be the case, however, a belief is far from a fact. Our point? Stating unproven beliefs as facts does not reflect professionalism.



• An exception to this is, of course, those sites which are based on exaggeration and fabrication. Such as, humorous or satirical sites. Then again, the title of this section is Applicable Professionalism, with Applicable being the operative word.

 Technical Elements:

• Here, we are referring to your means of presentation and navigation. As mentioned earlier, it is not necessary that your site be fitted with all of the available bells, whistles and flash that technology has to offer.



• These things are fun and flashy, however, broadband is far from being a universal commodity and advanced technical elements can wreak havoc on a dial-up connection. Plus, not each visitor has the latest in computer systems and theirs may be unable to handle all that your site is asking it to. The results can be tragic if you depend upon your site for income or promotion. What good is it to have the flashiest site in town if no one can download it?



• When it comes down to content over technique, it is far wiser to allow visitors to view your content over your presentation style every time. If there is information that, by its distribution, is to your benefit, it is better that the information get distributed by the most direct means possible.



• Through research and learning you can find the technology that will make your site both enjoyable and memorable. Javascript and Perl are just two ways of intergrating some cool effects and interactive elements that will not bog down your site and which pose little hardship on the average computer. Another example of concern for your visitors.



• We look for, and favor, sites that incorporate Javascript and Perl into the content and presentation. It is possible to overkill, therefore, please use them wisely.

 Integrity & Ethics:

• We are, obviously, strong advocates for honesty; especially with business sites.



• However, regardless of what you are presenting with your site, it can be done with integrity. In our opinion, Integrity means standing up for what you are saying. Believing in it, yet accepting that there will be others that will disagree with you. And doing this with honor. Integrity is subtle, in its most tasteful form. It is not in-your-face.



• Ethics, of course, refers to honesty in ones dealings with others.



• Unfortunately, we believe that ethics and integrity are both on the endangered species list. If these attributes are not revived by this generation, we fear they will be forever lost. So, we look favorably upon those sites who pratice them. This is spoken from a professional point of view, to clarify, and each day we see these virtues exercised less and less in the world of commerce.



• Please, do not misconstrue. We are not referring to "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm" types of sites. Never, would we want all sites, whether commerce or private, to be carbon copies of the ones before and after it. We want Individuality of expression as far as content and design is concerned. Individuality can still be maintained while practicing integrity and ethics!

 Miscellaneous Points we consider:
Here are the final items we review and information on each. Though these are last, they are just as important as the remaining criteria.
 Splash Pages - are they necessary?

• We propose the answer is...they could be. They may serve a purpose as a Table of Contents of sorts. Perhaps a glimpse of things to come. A splash page is one of those things that must be judged on an individual basis. They can be an enhancement, they can be a waste of time. It depends. Do NOT, however, leave me as a captive audience with no way to escape that cutesy flash intro to your site!

 Music: a one-a and a two-a

• Tastes in music vary greatly! Some days, a person does not want to hear anything, not even a favorite song. Make sure there is a way to turn it off. Provide a handy OFF switch on each page that you have music.

 Advertisements: Uncle, already.

• Each of us is bombarded every day with someone trying to sell us something. Even if it is something that we want, do not push it down our throats. Commercial sites do not have to be hard sell. If you must advertise, do so gently and with taste. If you have obligations to advertise for sponsors of your site, congratulations on finding sponsors, but, please, group these together in a single place. If your visitor wishes to visit a sponsor, they can just as easily click a link to your sponsor/affiliates page - after they are finished with your content.
  
  Is it not irritating to have to wade through banner ads and pop-ups and all other kinds of sales images while attempting to find the content you came to read? The overwhelming throat-stuffing of advertisements, no doubt, has contributed to millions of people purchasing something they truly want and need - something to block the banners and turn the ads OFF. A visitor should never be forced to read information they did not come to see.

 Animations - those blinking twirly things.

• Animations are another element which is reviewed on a 'per site' basis. Some are quite cute and entertaining. Sometimes, they can be a distraction to a visitor trying to read. Other times they may be downright dangerous to certain persons with seizure disorders. A realistic number of animations can enhance the site experience, however, caution should be excersized to prevent overkill.

 Site Maps

• These pages can be extremely helpful additions to your site with two conditions. #1. They are kept up to date to include your entire site. And, #2. They can be easily accessed.



• It will benefit neither you nor your visitor if you have a Site Map and do not have a link to it available on your pages. If one must search for your Map, they may as well search for the page they were looking for to begin with.



• If they find your Map and you have added new content and failed to update your Map to reflect this - is it of any use? No, both of you are missing out. You, on a potential client (a visitor at the very least), and them (you may have just what they need but they cannot locate it).

 Do NOT be afraid, please.

• Finally, please rest assured that these requirements can be met! With some of our awards, victory is difficult to achieve. We expect much from our participants. We will tell you this minute that it will not be easy. We will tell you, also this minute, that it will be well worth your efforts. Our awards program tends to demand much, however, winners receive much in return.

Please see the rewards information which is described in each award's specific criteria section.

Thank you for your time. We wish you the very best with your entry.

Best of Luck,
ESP Concepts Awards Center

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