This time of year is one of my favorites. Not just because March is my birthday month, or the fact that spring and summer are just around the corner, but it also marks the timing of the start of our annual Best of North Tahoe and Truckee contest. Which, if you haven’t noticed, nominations are now open as of Friday, March 15 and close March 27.  

If that window seems condensed this year, it’s because it is. We’ve tried to take out some of the voting fatigue that we’ve gotten feedback on over the years, and put the emphasis over a shorter amount of time. So, if you see this mention, and want to put up the Bat Signal to round up your friends to help shine a spotlight on your favorite people, places and things, I’m sure it will be appreciated.   

Besides that, what else is new?  

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Not much. Every year we review categories for relevance and see what kind of support they received over the previous years. If we see limited response on specific categories, we may remove them as well as add some others – this year was no different. But that’s about it.    

The nomination phase is the first step in announcing a winner. Just as in years past, one nomination does not automatically move you through to the finals. Without fail, every year, I receive communication on why someone they nominated isn’t there to vote for in the finals. Many folks believe that they only need to be nominated once to get to the finals and this is not the case. The more nominations, the better the chances to get into the final round – and you can nominate once per day, per category, so keep showing that support.  

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Why do we only take the top nominations? We have over 100 categories and each year we have (literally) thousands of nominations. This is a way to help streamline and clean up the ballot so you’re only dealing with the best of the best. Every year I like to explain it in terms of the playoffs in sports. The nomination period is like the regular season and only the top teams move on to have a shot at the title.  

I get that you’re never going to truly get a list that’s all of your favorites. But we’re shooting for the consensus best – just like politics.  

UGH! Why did I have to go and throw politics into a perfectly good discussion about the best businesses and people – especially in a political year? Well, honestly, politicking is part of the fun and plays a big role in the nomination process. If you’re a business owner, why would you not want your customers voting for you? If they frequent your business, or know you are the best at what you do, they’re exactly the person you want participating.  

As also with politics, there’s always people who are going to feel like there’s some cheating going on. The beauty of our online portal is that we can detect if anything fishy is going on. So fear not, our goal is your goal. We want the best getting recognized for being the best. Well, that and we want people to have fun doing it.  

The contest is meant to be celebratory of the things that help make up the fabric of the community. The last thing we want is to put the negativity out there. Channel that energy into something more encouraging. Let’s give the nominees a boost of confidence.  

For many people, this is a chance to put a huge spotlight on their business, or bring awareness someone’s contributions within the community, or simply support one of your favorite places to go locally. If anything the past few years in Tahoe and Truckee have taught us is that support is always needed. Some of those businesses wouldn’t be here today without that support. Continue to show that passion and appreciation for what they do or what they mean to you through a nomination – and ultimately a vote in the finals.  

Each year we see new rivalries unfold in the process, but we also see it come down to the same two that vie for that title year after year. That’s part of what makes this fun. New names may emerge victorious and winning streaks may be extended. But in any case, it’s a way to call out the folks that have made a difference over the past year as part of the fabric in the community that they help make up.    

Best of luck, everyone! We’ll see you again in the finalist voting round.  

To make your nominations, visit us at: SierraSun.com/best/ 

Publisher Rob Galloway can be reached at rgalloway@swiftcom.com or 530-542-8046.