The Purple Star Lens

Here I share my purple stars and explain how you can receive a coveted purple star award too! The Purple Star Program on Squidoo recognises exceptional, stand-out-from-the-crowd lenses, or pages, on Squidoo. Only about 1,000 are given out per year.

At present I am very honoured to have 57 purple star awards. This lens showcases the lenses that have received purple stars, and contains a great selection of purple star resources too!

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

"Purple Stars are fairy dust. They're magic. They're surprises. You'll never know when or where they'll arrive--but you'll get a special email if you're bestowed with some Purple Star goodness." - Megan Casey

Purple Stars are awarded to standout, masterpiece lenses that are top quality, try something different, or contain stellar original content. They are special and only 1,000 are handed out each year. You can often increase your chances of being recognised these days by participating in quests that have purple stars on offer for the best submissions.

Originally just for Giant Squids, the purple stars eventually became available to the whole Squidoo community! Although anyone on Squidoo can nominate a lens for a purple star (through the purple star quest program), it's Bonnie (bdkz) and Robin (rms) who do the final dusting on worthy lenses!

So what does it mean to receive a purple star? It means that Squidoo HQ have recognized your lens as being a standout from the crowd lens, which is wonderful in itself! But that's not all. You also receive a permanent purple star on your lens, a lensrank boost, a purple star trophy, and a purple star quest, in which you can nominate another lensmaster's lens for a purple star.

UPDATE! Purple stars are now turbo-charged! Be awarded one, and enjoy a one-time 20% turbo boost in lensrank.

Back when purple stars were just for Giants, there were certain occasions where the program was opened up to everyone. I was very proud of my purple stars for the first two lenses listed, as I won them before I became a Giant Squid. Of course, I am also proud of my subsequent purple stars too!

Usually, the best lenses are those that come from the heart. Those that you write, because you LOVE what you are writing about. I never set out to write a "purple star worthy" lens (although I always aim to write a "high quality" lens of course!) and so when I receive one, it is an honour and a surprise. Proof that the lenses you LOVE to write shine through and get hit with the purple brush is below - I have so far made three lenses about Cornwall, a place I utterly adore, and all three of them have been awarded purple stars. Make sense - so remember - always write not just what you know, but what you love!

Here are my Purple Star Winners, in chronological star-winning order!

By getting nominated! And to stand a chance of getting nominated, you need to make sure you are producing high quality, original content, stand-out-from-the-crowd lenses.

Unlike Lens of the Day, you cannot nominate yourself for a purple star - you can only nominate other people, and only if you have unlocked a purple star quest by getting a star yourself.

Here are the various ways in which you might receive a purple star:

1. Through nomination. If someone has unlocked a purple star quest, they can nominate a lens, and that might be yours! If HQ agree that you are purple-worthy, then you're in luck! You will then receive a purple star quest yourself to pay it forward and dust someone else with the purple stardust!
2. Through a purple star quest or competition. Sometimes quests have purple stars up for grabs, as do certain challenges or competitions, like the SquidWoot, where purple stars are awarded to some of the best entries.
3. Through being a pioneer. HQ are always on the lookout for top quality lenses in new areas of the subtopics - neighborhoods that are perhaps lacking in content. If you produce a unique and fabulous lens in an empty area, you could get lucky!