At the beginning of each year, we select award recipients who represent great works and contributions to the Experts Exchange community from the prior calendar year. All eligible nominees must be a current member in good standing on Experts Exchange.

Recent changes have been made to the way awards are valued and chosen:

Points Rankings. The previous awards were given solely based upon points earned on the site (with the exception of Nomad and Connoisseur). Many of our members participate by contributing their time and service to help individuals, and while they gain points for their actions, we want to focus on the efforts involved in obtaining these points, such as professionalism and a customer-first attitude. Please keep in mind points earned during the year will still be one of the primary factors for selecting the first round of nominees for the awards. However, as each award requirement is described below, other factors will be used as part of the selection process for the final winners.

Title Change. Many of our members were asking for more industry-focused recognition. Awards like Titan, Scribe, Ally, etc. did not meet the objective. We want to recognize contribution with more appropriate titles that can be used on resumes, profiles, and other appropriate documentation.

Selection Process. The selection process for all awards will be modified to include a selection
board process–similar to the current MVE program. Each January, a selection board comprised
of subject-matter experts and community management will evaluate eligible candidates and
select the winners. Prior to the start of the 2017 calendar year, we began collecting data on how
users interact both with content and other users to aid in this decision-making process.

Here are the specific eligibility requirements for each award:

Expert of the Year–recognizes the expert that has moved the Experts Exchange technology community forward in the past year. Their work is not only shown through the contributions to the site in earning points for solutions, articles, videos, and other products, but also includes their overall approach to leading, guiding, mentoring, and setting an example for others within the community.

To be eligible, a member must–

• Have been active and in good standing on Experts Exchange
• Uphold the mission and values of Experts Exchange and demonstrate that in everything he/she does on the site
• Exhibit outstanding performance
• Demonstrate effective professional interactions within the community
• Bring innovative and useful knowledge to each situation, task, or interaction
• Be seen as the subject-matter expert in at least two or more technology areas
• Demonstrate leadership activities within the community
• Provide highly effective service and/or participation within the community
• Serve the community above and beyond his/her responsibilities and take the initiative to help those in need

Rookie of the Year–recognizes and distinguishes a new member of Experts Exchange who has shown outstanding contribution to the community in their first year as a member.

To be eligible, a member must:

• Have been active and in good standing on Experts Exchange
• Be a new member within the prior two calendar years
• Uphold the mission and values of Experts Exchange and demonstrate that in everything he/she does on the site
• Exhibit outstanding performance
• Demonstrate effective professional interactions within the community
• Bring innovative and useful knowledge to each situation, task, or interaction

Author of the Year–recognizes original works by an author that are considered extremely valuable and insightful and should heighten and extend the reader’s’ awareness of the topic and how it is relevant to the technology community.

To be eligible, a member must:

• Have been active and in good standing on Experts Exchange
• Be an active author on Experts Exchange contributing several original works
• Exhibit outstanding performance
• Demonstrate effective professional interactions within the community
• Bring innovative and useful knowledge to each situation, task or interaction
• Be considered the subject-matter expert in at least two or more technology areas

Distinguished Expert–recognizes someone who has achieved noteworthy technical and professional accomplishments while working as an expert in a specific topic. This will ordinarily require significant amounts of effort and time over the lifetime of the individual given this distinction. Example: Published writer, lots of solutions (including assisted), endorsed by the community, good ratings where applicable, etc.

To be eligible, a member must:

• Have been active and in good standing on Experts Exchange
• Uphold the mission and values of Experts Exchange and demonstrate that in everything he/she does on the site
• Exhibit outstanding performance
• Demonstrate effective professional interactions within the community
• Bring innovative and useful knowledge to each situation, task or interaction
• Be considered the subject-matter expert within the community in a specific topic

Most Valuable Expert–recognizes a technology expert who passionately shares his/her knowledge with the community, consistently demonstrates the core values of our community and goes the extra mile in all aspects of their contributions.

To be eligible, a member must:

• Have been active and in good standing on Experts Exchange
• Uphold the mission and values of Experts Exchange and demonstrate that in everything he/she does on the site
• Actively contribute within at least two or more topics accumulating points via solutions, assists, views, etc.
• Exhibit outstanding performance
• Demonstrate effective professional interactions within the community
• Bring innovative and useful knowledge to each situation, task or interaction
• Be considered the subject-matter expert in at least two or more technology areas

Experts Exchange Fellow
An Experts Exchange Fellow is a distinction reserved for select members whose extraordinary accomplishments are deemed fitting of this prestigious grade elevation. This title is granted in recognition of extremely outstanding and sustained technical contributions and leadership in multiple technical disciplines over a significant amount of time. This award may not be given every year if there are no obvious candidates.

To be eligible, a member must:

• Have been active and in good standing on Experts Exchange for a minimum of three years
• Uphold the mission and values of Experts Exchange and demonstrate that in everything he/she does on the site
• Hold multiple titles and recognitions on Experts Exchange, including MVE, Expert of the Year, Distinguished Expert, and/or Top Expert
• Be a published author and/or technologist on Experts Exchange as well as other areas of the internet
• Be an active member and provide service to various technology councils, committees, societies, and boards
• Provide significant contributions as a technologist, leader, and educator
• Show evidence of technical accomplishments and realization of significant impact to the technology world
• Exhibit outstanding performance
• Demonstrate effective professional interactions within and outside the community
• Bring innovative and useful knowledge to each situation, task, or interaction
• Be seen as the subject-matter expert in at least five or more technology areas
• Demonstrate leadership within the community
• Provide highly effective service and/or participation within the community
• Serve the community above and beyond his/her responsibilities and take the initiative to help those in need

What awards are no longer available and what will these type of contributions translate to in the future awards?
The metrics that determined these winners will be used by the selection board to aid in the selection process.

• The Titan – Distinguished Expert, MVE, Fellow
• The Ally – Distinguished Expert, MVE, Fellow
• The Scribe – Author of the Year
• The Director – Distinguished Expert, MVE, Fellow
• The Scrutinizer – MVE, Fellow
• The Nomad – Distinguished Expert, MVE, Fellow
• The Connoisseur – Distinguished Expert, MVE, Fellow