The 2020 Best of SLCTM nominations are just around the corner, and we’re looking forward to crowning the cream of the crop, as determined by you. Last year’s inaugural contest already established us as the best “best of” contest in Utah, but we’re not resting on our laurels. We’ve got a fresh decade to work with, so let’s make it the best one yet for Salt Lake City and our nearby communities.
Important Dates for the 2020 Best of SLC
January 20th: Nominations open to all SLC residents
January 31st: Nominations close.
March 3rd: Last day to order voting materials
March 16th: Voting begins
April 3rd: Voting ends
April 7th: Finalists announced
April 16th: Tickets for the 2020 Best of SLC Awards Banquet on sale
May 7th: 2020 Best of SLC Awards Banquet
Learn more about how the Best of SLCTM works.
What’s New This Year
We’ve developed a new system for voting that validates ballots via text message. This is a security feature designed to protect the integrity of the vote. It has been very successful in testing and prevents all that funny business that can occur with strictly online or email ballots. You can review our privacy policy here, but the short version is we will not share your information with anyone.
How do we decide on what categories to include?
The Best of SLC Awards tries to compare apples to apples, the same as any of your potential customers would. As of this writing, we have 175 various categories nested within nine different groups. Most categories are very specific to an industry, such as “Best Plumber”. Some categories are more broad, like “Best Contractor”.
There is no feedback we receive that causes more debate than determining which categories to include. So how do we make those decisions?
Step #1: Make a Suggestion
Many of our changes begin as suggestions from those within their industries. Perhaps a user wants to nominate their brother’s auto towing company, only to find out that there wasn’t a category that fits them. They might then contact us to make their suggestion to include towing as a new category.
Step #2: Evaluate the Category Suggestion
We don’t mean to exclude anyone, so our first step is to evaluate the suggested category and see if there is a reason why it didn’t already exist. Perhaps it’s a specialized niche that’s already covered by an existing category, such as an attorney that specializes in DUI defense. They fit right within the “Criminal Defense Law Firm” and “Best Law Firm” categories. Other reasons a category might not already exist for various specialties are a lack of competition, it might create confusion, or maybe we just overlooked it.
Yep, sometimes we make mistakes because we aren’t experts in every industry. We’re happy to fix them if we can, we just ask for your help and your patience to do so.
Step #3: Is the Category Competitive?
I’ve personally enjoyed throwing axes and knives for over 20 years, so I’d be thrilled to include a niche category specifically for such a thing. But while there are a few places of business in SLC that offer axe throwing activities and instruction, there are simply not enough to justify axe throwing as its own category (for now).
Our general rule of thumb is that there needs to be at least 10-20 quality competitors to be considered. When we say “quality”, each nominee should specialize in this area and would need to have their own Google My Business page, Facebook page, and website.
Step #4: Discussion and Vote
When we determine that a new category suggestion is 1) distinct from other categories and 2) has a sufficient number of qualified competitors, then the change is discussed and voted on by a panel of 3-5 judges. We try to be as fair as possible, and sometimes these debates have become heated because we want to offer the best experience possible.
If a majority of the panel approves the new category, it can then be added as its own entity under the appropriate group.
Do you know a category that would be great to include for Best of SLCTM? Let us know by using our contact form.
What Do We Do Now?
