Just a thought: wouldn't it be a better approach to upvote people on the Most Undervalued Posts list as provided by e.g. The Daily Tribune, rather than submitting the voting for the many to the rules and tastes of a few?
It comes closer to the popular vote being important, it scales better, it prevents criticisms of centralisation, it makes sure no authors are forgotten on your list, and it also empowers the small-wallet voters; at least the number of their votes benefits authors.
Bot voting checks required, of course.
It's an interesting thought. Most posts get the same voting weight from Steem Guild. Hopefully, that is enough to let the community see them and decide what to reward at a higher level.