The Golden Quill

Holders of the award may choose to display this graphic on their site, linked back to this page

The Golden Quill was first presented as a prize for Lochac's Most Improved Website Competition at Festival, AS XL, by Bartholomew Baskin and katherine kerr, Baron and Baroness of Southron Gaard.

This is a transferable prize, awarded by one Webscribe to another. That is, the holder of the prize is tasked with the duty, within six months, of seeking out another Kingdom of Lochac group or guild website which has impressed them by virtue of its design, structure and/or content, and arranging for the prize to be passed on to that group's Webscribe at a Royal or Baronial Court.

The transferable prize consists of a small box burnt with the Golden Quill graphic by Lord Ronan mac Brian. In the box is some information regarding the prize and a number of small tokens, one of which should be permanently kept by each holder.

Notes for Holders

• When you pass on the prize, please email web@sg.sca.org.nz so that this page can be updated
• Please contact the B&B of Southron Gaard when the token supplies run out
• Have you joined the Lochac Webministers List yet? It's open to any Lochac Webscribe, and you may find it a helpful resource.
• Judging criteria used for the Most Improved Website Competition are below, just in case you find them useful in choosing the next holder. Of course, not all of them bear equal weight, nor are all applicable for different types of site. Nor are you restricted to looking only at improvements over time.

Possible Judging Criteria

• Regularly updated and accurate (esp. Calendar and Regnum or equivalent)
• Easy to navigate and find important things
• Good, findable Newcomer/intro information
• Accurate and useful links, especially internal
• Strong pointers to communication (e.g. relevant email lists)
• Browser independence (e.g. FireFox) and valid HTML and/or Javascript
• Content aimed at community-building, e.g. local identity
• Well-written content
• Appealing design
• Interesting
• Efficient/quick page loading
• Special or very informative things that add appeal or uniqueness
• Absence of pointless promises like "under construction"
• Public site policies (on privacy, links etc)
• Correct references/credits for photos etc. (and other copyright issues)

Displaying the Prize Graphic

Use this HTML, or similar, to show the graphic in a suitable place on your web page:

<A HREF="http://sg.sca.org.nz/goldenquill.htm">
 <IMG SRC="http://sg.sca.org.nz/scaimgs/GoldenQuill.gif"
 width="100" height="107" alt="Winner of the Golden Quill Web prize"
 border=0>
</A>

Thanks to...

This prize was created largely through the efforts of Lord Ronan mac Brian, who was responsible for the graphic design and the painstaking pyrography on the prize box. Sincere thanks are also due to the then Kingdom Web Minister, Baroness Fineamhain an Einigh inghean Ui Chonchobhair, who made great efforts to assist the original competition, and also Lord William de Wyk and Thorald Inn Suðreyski.