This expands on this post from two years ago.
So here is what I propose:
In addition to trust levels, discourse can support Content Quality Levels.
(Note: I did not make this graph, it was copied from the linked post)
Trust levels are already implemented, on the Y-axis.
People who consistently post quality content can ascend on the X-axis.
What would this do?
A new tab can be added (“Featured” or “Curated”) which can be calculated by likes, date (more recent is better; maybe along a curve like y=sqrt(-(x-5)) or something similar), and manual influence by curators.
CQLs can be calculated by maybe (# of likes * avg. CQL of likers).
This can be accompanied by a badge (quality contributor, curator, quality curator) and increased flag priority/like limit.
This would be especially powerful when combined with something like this.
Additionally, a high CQL can be a factor in automatic promotion to TL4.