About
As of 2016, the Best Website Award has been combined with the previous Best Reference Award and is now the Mary B. Ansari Best Research Resource Award.
Presented to a website that exemplifies outstanding standards of content, design, organization, and overall site effectiveness.
Since 2002, GSIS has presented an award for Best Geoscience Website. All sites related to the geological sciences are eligible. These include scholarly sites and those geared toward the general public. In addition, both free and subscription-based sites will be considered, although preference will be given to sites with significant free content.
Sites will be reviewed by the GSIS Website Advisory Committee based on the following criteria:
Content
- usefulness and quality of content
- originality or uniqueness of components
- authority
- currency
- scope and comprehensiveness
Design and Organization
Design and Organization
- user friendliness
- intuitive layout and ease of navigation
- graphics
- creativity
Technical Considerations
- browser compatibility
- link integrity
- speed and reliability
- effective integration of any advanced features
- accessibility for those using assisted technologies
Overall Site Effectiveness
- clear goals and purpose
- appropriateness for audience
- broad appeal
- innovative thinking
- attention to detail
- reason to return
Winning websites are encouraged to display the badge.
Awardees
2012
Science Education Resource Center (SERC) (Carlton College)
2011
Earth Impact Database (Planetary and Space Science Centre, University of New Brunswick)
2010
The Echinoid Directory (Dr. Andrew B. Smith, The Natural History Museum, London)
2009
- Discovering Antarctica (Royal Geographical Society in partnership with the British Antarctic Survey and the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office)
- On the Cutting Edge (National Association of Geoscience Teachers)
2008
Encyclopedia of Earth
2007
2006
The Hero of Vesuvius
2005
- Paleontology Portal (Academic)
- Volcano World (formerly maintained at the Univ. of North Dakota)
2004
American Museum of Natural History Division of Paleontology
2003
A Guide to the Orders of Trilobites
2002
- United States Geological Survey
- Links for Mineralogists (site is no longer maintained)