For a long time, we have been resistant to give awards. There are a number of sites that give virtually every product an award. At STH, we started giving out the STH Editor’s Choice Award in 2019 in the site’s 10th year. We wanted the award to be exclusive. Instead of giving every product the award, our goal was to hand out the award no more than once per month. After we gave out four awards in the first 10 months, well below our quota, it is time to have a dedicated page with our Editor’s Choice Award Winners.
STH Editor’s Choice Award Process
We do not have a fixed set of criteria for giving the award. Instead, we look at the gravitas of a product. That means we look for combinations of unique features such as:
- Market impact
- Excellence in engineering
- Extreme value compared to other offerings
Perhaps the biggest indicator is whether we use, or plan to use the products regularly in our environments. If we feel that we could not do without a product as the site that has a data center lab, then it must be doing something right.
To get a STH Editor’s Choice Award, the reviewer of a product must nominate it for the award. Our Editor-in-Chief must then consult with the reviewer, and decide that the product being considered has the appropriate market gravitas to receive the award.
STH Editor’s Choice Award Winners 2019
Here are the winners for 2019:
We stayed well under our quota of 12 awards given in 2019 as we wanted to ensure that the award was not diluted in its value.
STH Editor’s Choice Award Winners 2020
Here are the winners for 2020:
- Kioxia CD6 Family (awarded with CD6-L)
- Wiwynn Mt. Jade powered by Ampere Altra
Final Words
There are sites that bestow awards for a fee in their reviews. STH plans to never do this. We want our Editor’s Choice Award to be recognized as being conferred independently and only to truly impactful products in the market.