Criteria 

Please read the criteria before applying. It is here for you to understand what is awarded and what will keep a site from earning an award.

• Do not submit any sites which contain or have  links to sites that contain adult material, racism, sexism, illegal activities such as warez or hacking sites, pirated software, excessive violence, or other material that may be otherwise offensive.
• All sites must fully respect copyright laws. I will not accept applications for sites that plagiarize sound files or graphics.
• I highly recommend you view my site in full and visit the sites of some of my current winners prior to applying. 
• I only accept applications from site owners, designers, and webmasters. If you do not fall into this list and wish to suggest a site for consideration, please do so by e-mail.

• Your site must have minimal broken links, minimal misspellings, NO under constructions signs, no obvious errors, no JavaScript errors, no broken framesets, etc.
• Your site must have content, at least 5 pages, and not consist mostly of links.
• Originality is a big plus. Original graphics are loved but link ware, etc.  will be allowed. 
• If any sound is used, there needs to be some way to shut it off, if not points will be deducted.
• There must be something "different" about your site. Teach me something when I visit your site.
• Your site must be functional. Navigation and style must be seamlessly integrated, efficient, and effective.
• There should be no eye-sores. These include, but are not limited to: pop-up windows, unnecessary animation, etc. Some exceptions may be made. Some sites on free servers, such as Geocities and Tripod, have popup ads, if possible, please embed the banners onto your site rather than have them popup. Considerations will be made in this case. 
• Your site MUST NOT contain pornography, racism, discrimination, hate, violence, spam, chain letters, pyramid schemes, warez or illegal activities.
• Your site MUST NOT crash my computer. Your site should work well on all computers and in my browser of choice.
• Your site MUST be enjoyable to view,  fast loading, and unique.
• Your site MUST abide by the Y!Geocities TOS if your site is within Geocities, as I am a community leader there.
• Your site MUST NOT have plug-ins that take forever to load or excessive error messages.
• I will be looking for creative design ideas and unique content.
• Some times I use I.E.™ 5.5, some times I use Navigator™, and some times I use both.
• My internet connection speed ranges from 56k to DSL connection
• I like organization and easy navigation.
• I get frustrated with simple errors, broken links,  hard to read pages, excessive animations, pop-up windows of any kind (unless unavoidable, as stated above), and VERY slow download times.
• I do require the reading of my criteria. To check this, the application asks you if there is any password I should know. In order to be considered, you must put the words "Golden Retriever" in that space on the application form. Failure to enter this password will result in the automatic rejection of your application.
• I am very fair and will not let a lack of interest in your subject matter influence my decision. 
• As of April 2000, due to COPPA, we will not be accepting applications from children under the age of 13. 
• All information collected on this website is used STRICTLY for informational purposes in awarding websites. It is kept private and never given out under ANY circumstances.
• Remember just because you did not win my award the first time you applied does not mean that you can not re-apply anytime you come up with something new and exciting. Please wait 30 days prior to re-submission.