The 18th annual Bethpage Best of Long Island contest winners were announced on Feb. 28 — and now for the first time in three years, there will be a party to celebrate these victories.
More than a million votes were tallied for Long Islanders’ favorite businesses, people, and places in the largest contest of its kind on LI celebrating hundreds of winners in dozens of categories ranging from arts and entertainment to weddings, with food and drink being among the most competitive categories.
The list of winners will be found at bestoflongisland.com or in the comprehensive winners guide on newsstands now. And the winners will celebrate on March 21 at the Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury during an exclusive celebration that brings the best together.
“There’s a ton of awards right — there’s awards for everything now — but this is an award that is so cool for so many different reasons because people in our community vote for it,” Erin Colton of News 12 Long Island said at the last winner’s party. “I would throw away all the other awards for this one because people who you live with, people who you respect, and people who are within your community think that you are good enough to win.”
The Bethpage Best of Long Island Winners Celebration had been on hiatus since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, with the last one held in 2019. Special guest NewsdayTV lifestyle host Elisa DiStefano will be in attendance, as will Quacker-Jack from the Long Island Ducks, winner Best Long Island Sports Mascot.
Due to high demand, this is an invitation-only event in which 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 Bethpage Best of Long Island contest winners can buy tickets. It will sell out.
The celebration includes an elegant dinner, hors d’oeuvres, open bar, live music, entertainment, and extra copies of the printed 2023 Winners Guides, as well as the opportunity to connect with other winners. The party is scheduled for 6-9 p.m. March 21 at the Crest Hollow Country Club located at 8325 Jericho Tpke. in Woodbury.
To purchase tickets, call Celeste Alamin at 516-962-3700 or purchase at bestoflongisland.com. Tickets are nonrefundable and are not available at the door.
About the Best of Long Island Contest
Hundreds of businesses, people, charities, and other entities faced off in the latest round of competition. Upon conclusion of the 75-day voting period on Dec. 15, a third party 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 tout their titles with confidence.
The popularity of the contest, which originated in and is sponsored by Bethpage Federal Credit Union, continues to grow each year. Voters chose between nearly 9,000 ballots in dozens of categories, ranging from the long list of restaurant cuisines judged to the wide array of other business sectors the public ranked. Now that the numbers have been crunched, winners can shout their wins from the rooftops.
And not unlike the governmental elections, voters have been looking ahead to the next contest as soon as the last round of voting ended. Didn’t see your favorite business, person, or place on the ballot last time? Nominate them in the 2024 Best of LI contest now through Aug. 31!
Supporters can cast their votes next fall when the polls open again Oct. 1 through Dec. 15. Voters are allowed one vote per email address per day for each category. More information can be found at bestoflongisland.com.
Of course, the winners of this contest couldn’t be called “the best” without the support of voters. When all is said and done, it was Long Islanders — not the contest organizers who tirelessly coordinate this program to support fellow local businesses — who crowned the winners of the 2023 Bethpage Best of
Long Island contest.
