By far, the one feature and event that generates the most inquiries from readers is the Best of Hudson Valley. Here are the answers to those questions:
How does a business win a Readers’ Pick?
Readers vote for Readers’ Picks via an online ballot. This year’s ballot was active from January 31 through March 20. For the Food & Drink and Health & Beauty categories, we take the top five vote-getters in each category and have another round of voting. These elimination rounds took place between March 25 and May 5. The venue with the most votes wins. If there is a tie, they both win. This year we had 240 readers’ winners, with 14,844 total votes in the first round and 23,899 votes in the elimination rounds.
Can I vote more than once?
The rules on the ballot clearly state that you can vote only once. You may vote once per each subsequent round of run-offs, however. We discount multiple votes by the same email address and also check IP addresses.
Can businesses tell people to vote for them?
Yes. The more votes the better. Incentivizing votes with discounts, giveaways, etc., however, is not permitted. If caught, you will be sent a warning and may be disqualified.
How do you come up with the categories for the Readers’ Ballot?
We review the list every year. If a category did not get many votes, we will remove it and add a category that may not have existed a few years ago such as “cidery” and “solar provider.” We also take suggestions from readers prior to the ballot going live.
I voted for a Readers’ Pick, but I don’t see that category in this feature?
If the most-voted-for venue within a category gets fewer than 15 votes we eliminate that category from the feature, thus there is no winner.
How do we get nominated for an Editors’ Pick?
These are based on our experiences. The editors keep running lists of “bests” throughout the year and we ask for suggestions from the entire staff and our freelancers. We vet and sometimes debate these suggestions; not everyone ends up a winner. This year we have 115 Editors’ Picks.
How does a venue or invidual get on your radar to be considered for an Editors’ Pick?
Let us know about it — whether it’s your business or a place that you love. You can do this in a variety of ways:
1. Fill out a form on our “Contact Us” page on our website: www.hvmag.com.
2. Send an email to edit@hvmag.com or to individual editors using first initial, last name@hvmag.com.
3. Connect with us via Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.
4. Come to the Best of Hudson Valley party on October 10 at The Poughkeepsie Grand Hotel and stop by the Hudson Valley magazine table to meet us.
Hope to see you at the party!
