I don't like this idea. It is just too capricious for the treatment of serious work.

Or perhaps a (moderated) mechanism for attaching reviews.

This has more appeal.

Perhaps a few lists created by the exalted placed prominently on CPAN. This is suggesting a cabal or dictatorial editorial board that places what they wish in this review.

First a list of the well used modules: modules that by being in long and wide use prove some level of usefulness . DBI, CGI, and a couple of the Test::* modules would certainly be on this list. For those in the know this would be relatively easy to create.

Second a list of reviewed code deemed to be good. Naturally some CPAN core would extend trust to others' reviews as they see fit. I would expect that if I submitted a review, it would not be seen as publishable unless the subject inspired one of the exalted to vet my work.

Third a list of new items that seem to be heading for the first list.

These things would be real nice on CPAN, would be nice on PM.

For those who'd like to see this kind of stuff, there is the thread Essential Perl Modules