In the words of Ron Burgundy, “that escalated quickly.”

I can’t believe that our annual Best of N Tahoe & Truckee contest is already upon us but indeed it is, and the nomination window is open from now until March 26. As always, we have little tweaks here and there to try and improve the contest, but I always want to point out the importance of the nomination phase.

Why?

Because while the nomination process allows for people and businesses to be recognized by their peers, the community and visitors, it also serves as a tallying of who receives the most nominations. The top five in each category (which may vary slightly depending on final nominations) move on to the finals.

It never fails – every year we have people who message us asking why their nomination doesn’t appear in the finals, and every year I write and tell people the same thing. Once the nomination period ends, we only take the top finishers. I always will equate it to the nomination period being like the regular season and the finals being the playoffs.

We’ve had other markets across the nation tell us that three rounds are ideal: a nomination round for everyone, an initial voting round to then determine the finalists and a second voting round to determine the winner. This contest can already be exhausting with two rounds and to me, three just seems even more tiring. Although, I’d welcome a conversation if you think that’s a better way to go about it.

Nevertheless, while I mention the idea of exhausting, it’s also supposed to be fun. I know plenty of folks will disagree with me, but I always look at this time of year as a celebration of businesses and people that make this place special. It doesn’t matter who or what service you offer to the community – you affect people in a specific way. This is a way to honor and highlight the ones that do it best and that should be celebrated … and fun.

So, if you are one to participate, spread the word. Let your customers, friends and family know. I’m sure you are deserving and I’m certain others will feel that way, too. You should get excited about being nominated – even more so if you make it to the finals. It’s not only a chance to shed light on what you have done to get there, but also a way to expose people who may not even be aware you exist. In any case, this is a good thing.

Like we do every year, we’ve added and deleted categories based on feedback and participation. We review all suggestions for consideration, and you might see something that you asked for last year … or you might not. A lot of factors go into a decision, and we’ve been wrong in the past as far as considerations go. So, if you

don’t see a category, keep asking. It’s one of the best ways to make us think twice about including.

You can nominate once per day, per category, so keep showing that support during the process. Maybe we get some new rivalries or even some Cinderella stories. Or perhaps we still see domination by the best year in and year out.

Best of luck, everyone! Hopefully, 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.