Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to common questions about Best of Tester, including nominations, voting, winner announcements, and voting products. Select a question below to expand the answer.
Frequently Asked Program Questions
What is Best of Tester?
Best of Tester is a community celebration of local excellence. During the course of the program, local residents will nominate and vote for their favorite local businesses, organizations, and places. It’s the ultimate recognition, powered entirely by you. Winners are chosen by popular vote and showcased online for one year.
How does the program work?
We ask the general public to nominate their favorites starting Jun 22nd, 2026 at 1:00pm and ending Jun 22nd, 2026 at 1:15pm. All nominated businesses will move forward to the voting ballot, no matter how many times they’re nominated. Once the nomination phase has concluded, there is a brief pause for the voting ballot to be validated to ensure those nominated do what they were nominated for.
Voting will begin on Jun 22nd, 2026 at 1:20pm and end Jun 24th, 2026 at 1:30pm. During the voting phase, each person can vote one time per day per category by IP address. After voting ends, results will be published on Aug 27th, 2026 at 4:00am.
Does it cost money to participate?
There is no cost to participate. It is completely free to be nominated, to rally your community to vote, and to win. Businesses do have ways to amplify their presence during the voting phase; however, participation is completely free.
How is a business nominated?
We ask the general public to nominate their favorites starting Jun 22nd, 2026 at 1:00pm and ending Jun 22nd, 2026 at 1:15pm. All nominated businesses will move forward to the voting ballot, no matter how many times they’re nominated.
What if I want to suggest a category that I don’t see?
We welcome your feedback. Please submit a request for a new category and we’ll consider the addition either for this year or next year.
I missed the nomination phase. Can someone still be nominated and added to the voting ballot?
To be considered as a late nomination, please complete the late nomination form. Once the form has been submitted, our team will review it and provide an update via email.
How will I know if I won?
All winners will be contacted via email with next steps. If you are not sure we have your contact information, please complete the contact information form.
What if you don’t have my contact information to let me know I’m a finalist?
Please complete the contact information form to provide your details.
What do I get as a winner?
All winners will receive a winner certificate via email and will be listed on the website for one year.
How can I see a full list of winners?
All winners will be listed on the website on Aug 27th, 2026 at 4:00am.
If I win, can I have access to the high-resolution winner badges to use for marketing purposes?
There is a small licensing fee for unlimited use of the winner badges. Once results are live and you’ve paid the licensing fee, we’ll send the high-resolution graphics to your inbox.
Frequently Asked Voting Product Questions
How can I make my business stand out on the voting ballot?
There are two main ways to make your business stand out on the voting ballot.
- Subcategory Sponsor is an exclusive banner that sits on top of each subcategory as a person is voting. This branding banner puts your business name and imagery in front of a highly engaged voter.
- Ballot Button enhances your listing and helps your business name stand out from the other business choices.
How can I make it easier for my client base to vote for me?
A Custom Voting Page simplifies the process for you and for your loyal client base. With this voting product, you’ll have a voting ballot of your own. This individually branded voting ballot has a dedicated URL and only shows your voting categories; no competitors are shown. The page is easy to share on social media, by text message, and by email, and it comes with a QR code for locations where you can ask foot traffic to vote.
I purchased a voting product. What happens next?
Once an order is processed, within 48 hours our design team will visit your website, Facebook, and/or Instagram to pull your logo and images and create a first draft of your purchased products. These design drafts will include a place for you to provide change requests and upload new images and creative. You can make as many changes as you’d like.
What if I want to make my own design?
If you’d like to provide your own design, no problem. Download the spec sheet, complete the design, and send the items to our design team. We’ll place them and ensure they’re ready for the voting phase. All designed products need to be delivered before voting begins on Jun 22nd, 2026 at 1:20pm.