Best of 2023 FAQs

Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions:

1. What is the Best Of Coastal Style and how does it work?
Coastal Style’s Best Of is a celebration of the very best the Eastern Shore has to offer in the industries of Art, Beauty & Style, Coastal Style Honors, Fitness & Recreation, Food & Beverage, For The Home, Healthcare, Our Community, Pets, Professional, Shopping & Services and Weddings in Sussex, Dorchester/Talbot, Wicomico and Worcester counties. Nominees, Finalists and Winners are determined by the readers of Coastal Style magazine.

2. How does Coastal Style magazine determine its Best Of Coastal Style winners?
Our readers nominated their favorites, in dozens of categories, through our online ballot. Nominations were accepted from February 1-28, 2023,
as the FIRST part of the competition. The businesses that received the most nominations in each category advanced to the SECOND part of the competition: The Voting Round, which runs May 1-31, 2023. The top vote-getter in each category will be crowned as this year’s Best Of Coastal Style winners.

3. For years, Best Of Coastal Style was just one round. Why is it now two?
We added the nomination round to give more businesses an opportunity to be included on the voting ballot, to provide promotional opportunities to further connect businesses with our audience and to enhance readers’ nomination and voting experiences.

4. When does voting begin and end?
Voting starts May 1 at 9 a.m. and ends May 31, 2023 at 11:59 p.m.

5. How many times can I participate in the Nomination Round?
Nominations for your favorite people, places and businesses can be cast daily from February 1-28, 2023.

6. How many times can I vote for a business in the Finals Round?
One time per category per email address. This is to maintain the integrity of the readers’ poll and prevent ballot stuffing.

7. I missed the Nomination Round this year. How can I be more prepared for next year?
Sign up for our client/prospect newsletter. It contains everything Coastal Style related — advertising opportunities, upcoming events, special promotions and more.

8. How do I see if I am Finalist in a category?
Please look under the county and section that fits your industry, then check the categories that most relate to your business.

9. Do advertisers automatically win?
No. Best Of Coastal Style results are based upon reader voting. Some winners may be advertisers, or later choose to become one, but being an advertiser does not equate to a win. Over the years, we’ve even lost advertisers at the conclusion of their agreements because they didn’t win and were upset. This is and always has been out of our control.

10. How can I promote my business to get votes?
Click here to see our Best Of Voting Round toolkit with graphics and marketing tips »

11. Where is the submit button on the ballot? How do I know my votes counted?
There is no final submit button. Once you click the “VOTE” button, your choice is recorded. No further action is needed.

12. I’m having trouble registering. What should I do?
When you start voting in the first category of your choice, you will be asked to fill out the registration form. When you complete this step, you will
be registered, and you can continue making selections on the ballot. If you have trouble with that process, we suggest trying a different browser and/or device.

13. I don’t have time to fill out the entire ballot. Can I come back and make more votes?
Sure! As long as you’ve already registered to vote and it’s before deadline, you can pick up where you left off. When you return to the ballot on the same device, you should be automatically logged in and see your previous selections. If you aren’t logged in and you know that you’ve already registered in that round, click the “Already voted in this round…” link for further instructions.

14. Can I continue the process on another device?
Yes. When you return to the ballot on a different device, click the “Already nominated/voted in this round…” link for further instructions.

15. Why do I need to create an account to participate?
Our balloting software requires that users create an account for each round. This helps us guard against ballot-box stuffing and allows you to revisit your ballot before the deadline to make changes and additional nominations (Round #1) or votes (Round #2).

16. How do I find out who this year’s winners are?
Winners will be notified by July 15. A complete list of winners will appear here on our website on September 1.

Subscribe now to get the Best Of issue delivered right to your mailbox!

2024 Important Dates

Best Of Nomination Round:
February 1-29

Best Of Voting Round:
May 1-31

Winners Notified:
Mid-July

Winners Announced:
September 16  (Online)

Best Of 2024 Party:
November 1