Summit County residents have been voting for their favorite local businesses, organizations and attractions in Summit Daily News’ annual readers choice awards contest for over a decade. It’s the biggest contest of its kind in Summit County, with nearly 110,000 votes cast annually across nearly 200 categories. Here’s what you need to know about this year’s contest, which kicks off June 27.

Nominations are open from June 27 to July 4 at SummitDaily.com/best. We automatically nominated all of last year’s eligible nominees, with a few exceptions. The following categories will not be pre-nominated:

• Categories that require an individual’s name, such as Artist, Band/Musician, Bartender, Chef, Dentist, DJ, Doctor, Insurance Agent, Mortgage Broker, Mr. Summit County, Ms. Summit County, Professional Photographer, Real Estate Agent, Server and Teacher.
• Categories where nominees are likely to change from year to year, such as New Business.
• Categories that are new, including Auto/Motorsports Dealer, Auto Supply Store, Boot Fitting Company, Budtender, Carwash, Cocktail, Community Leader, Dance Studio, Detailing Service, Doughnuts, Electronics/Audio/Visual, Financial Planner, Home Inspection Company, Laundry Service, Locally Brewed Beer, Longstanding Business, Oxygen Services, Personal Trainer, Pre-K Teacher, Radio Station, Real Estate Team, Skin Care Office, Tattoo Shop, Tile Installation Company, Trash Service/Waste Removal, Wedding Ceremony Site, Wedding Stationary & Calligraphy, Wedding Transportation, Wedding Videographer, Window Installation Company, and Windshield Replacement/Auto Glass Company.

Participants can make an unlimited number of nominations during the nomination period. Each nomination will be vetted for accuracy, including whether the business, organization or person is based in Summit County and whether the nominee is an appropriate fit for the category. The contest is intended for locally owned or operated businesses, but national chains will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Incomplete nominations will be removed.

To ensure the contest remains competitive, categories with fewer than five nominees will be removed from the contest before voting begins July 18.

Swing by Summit Daily News during office hours to pick up a poster for your business.

Learn more about the contest at SummitDaily.com/about-us/about-the-best-of-summit-contest, or email Summit Daily News Publisher Nicole Miller with questions at nmiller@summitdaily.com. To learn more about advertising in the contest, contact your advertising representative or email advertising@summitdaily.com.