The winners of the wildly popular 2019 Bethpage Best of Long Island contest were announced Thursday.
The contest, now running 14 years strong, spotlights winners in dozens of categories including food and drink, health care, arts and entertainment, automotive, clothing, education, home and garden, nightlife and spirits, pets, services, shopping, sports and activities, and weddings. The list of winners can be found at bestoflongisland.com, where nominations for the 2020 contest are currently being accepted.
“If you want to be the best, you’ve got to beat the best,” as the saying goes.
Hundreds of businesses, people, charities, and other entities brought that same fighting spirit to the latest round of competition, which settles once and for all who is best in their given category.
Upon conclusion of the 75-day voting period on Dec. 15, the contest organizers began tallying the votes, weeding out fraudulent activity, and having an independent auditor certify the fairness and accuracy of the results so the winners can then tout their titles with confidence.
Evidence of the contest’s validity and ability to inspire friendly competition can be found in the number of votes that rolled in this year. More than 1.3 million votes were recorded in the latest contest, which is even more than the number of ballots cast on LI in the 2018 midterm elections. What’s more, the latest contest had nearly a half million more votes — a 46 percent increase over the previous round.
The contest, sponsored by Bethpage Federal Credit Union, also had 65,287 nominations.
Those users cast their voters in dozens of categories, ranging from the long list of restaurant styles judged to the wide array of other business sectors the public ranked in the contest.
Now that the numbers have been crunched, winners can bask in their glory at the Best of Long Island party. Tickets can be purchased at bestoflongisland.com.
And just like with the political elections, voters began looking ahead to the next contest as soon as the voting ended. Those who didn’t see their favorite business, person or place on the ballot this time can nominate them in the 2020 Best of LI contest. Nominations are accepted through August 31.
Supporters can cast their votes next fall when the polls open again, from October 1 through December 15. Voters are allowed one vote per email address per day for each category. More information can be found at bestoflongisland.com.
Remember, these winners couldn’t be called “the best” without the hundreds of thousands of votes received. When it’s all over, it was Long Islanders, not the contest organizers, who awarded these honors to the local businesses that call Long Island home.
NOMINATIONS FOR 2020 BEST OF LI CONTEST NOW OPEN!
Nominate your favorite businesses, people, charities, and entities in the 2020 Bethpage Best of Long Island program through August 31. Winners of the 2019 contest have been contacted and will be announced in February.
Step 1: Visit bestoflongisland.com
Step 2: Click “Nominates”
Step 3: Fill out form
Step 4: Select a category and enter nominee’s information
Step 5: Repeat for all your favorite people and businesses.
To find other Bethpage Best of Long Island contest winners, visit bestoflongisland.com
