I’m excited to announce a new Top Stories feature for 50WS  that I think both the site’s readers and writers will really enjoy. Here’s how it’s going to work.

Story of the Week
Each week, on Saturday, I will announce my selection for the best story posted that week. That story will be tagged as a Story of the Week, so that readers can quickly navigate back to find all of the best stories if they want to explore the archives that way.

I will be selecting the best stories myself, based on my own criteria. The story with the highest average reader rating won’t always be picked!

Story of the Month
Early each month, I will announce my selection for the best story posted in the previous month. Only stories picked as a Story of the Week will be eligible for Story of the Month.

The author of the Story of the Month will receive a prize of $10, to be sent via email transfer or PayPal.

As with the Story of the Week, I will be selecting the winning story based on my own assessment, not just on average reader rating. But the ratings may influence my decision, so vote away!

Story of the Year
Each year, in January, a Story of the Year will be selected out of the pool of winners of Story of the Month. There will be a further prize for Story of the Year, but I haven’t settled on all the details yet.