I like the idea of displaying winners like "Meet this Month's Simple Thanks Winners" with links/photos maybe on the home page instead of having people go searching for them.  I also like the suggestion of adding a badge because I think the more places reviewers see a reminder, they more they will check it out.

For guidelines on how you can become a Simple Thanks winner I have to bring up a pet peeve.  No Simple Thanks to reviewers who will not take the time to capitalize the letter "I."  I see many fun profiles with helpful reviews and just this one very annoying and easy to correct mistake.

I see Bob's point on looking for some longevity but then again I think becoming a Simple Thanks winner when you've put out a lot of initial effort in all areas could really motivate some people to go on to a Writer 1 status so... I would be torn on that point.

With so many great minds here, I am sure the new plan will be awesome!