6. DO NOT PULL IMAGES FROM OTHER SITES...aka STEALING BANDWIDTH. If you don't understand go here and READ.

7. Check to make sure you don't have any broken links.

8. If you have graphics on your site that you did not create, list the sources. Have a credits page or section at the bottom of each page linked back to it's creator or the person from whom you got it, e.g., "Skull gif courtesy of Night Gallery."

9. Don't write me asking for html advice. Either your site is ready or it needs work and that's not my problem.

10. NO GAZILLION ADVERTISING BANNERS! This is such a turn off...an otherwise great looking site with a ton of trashy ad banners blinking, rotating, contrasting and screeching in your face. Links page is one thing, front page looks bad IMO. Why would you want someone to LEAVE your site IMMEDIATELY to go to another one anyway? And if you're only getting like 20-30 hits a day on your site why bother with this unless you're a business site? You're a METAL site, NOT Yahoo.com! let's have some dignity and stop whoring our sites for corporate greedmongers.

You want more hits go to addme.com, get in some search engines, trade links with other metal sites.

Java pop out windows asking your name, asking you to vote, etc. This is ALSO REALLY annoying (especially on Geo/Tripod sites that you ALREADY have some annoying CONSTANTLY in your face ad to battle with). If your site looks like what I just described, please spare me the visual assault and don't apply.

Try looking around for services that DON'T have the ad banner crappage, homestead.com I believe is one. They have one small link at the bottom (ah the good ole days). Better yet, check into getting your own domain.

11. *IF YOU DO NOT HEAR BACK WITHIN TWO MONTHS YOUR SITE ISN'T WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR - WE DON'T EMAIL BACK UNLESS YOU'VE WON*

PLEASE NOTE: This is not a GIMME award like 99% of those out there now and it's not easy to win. The winners we have either have a lot of useful information and/or they have a visually beautiful site that also features useful content. Graphics alone will not win this nor is that the most important factor. This award is for GREAT CONTRIBUTIONS meaning the promotion of metal on the web. Your site should be visually appealing, have excellent navigation, and must have something of value to the metal community at large.