ST. GEORGE — Amid the breathtaking scenery of Southern Utah are unique shopping locales, premier restaurants and a wide variety of businesses all vying to position themselves as local favorites. But only an elite few can win the right to call themselves the very best.
Nominations for this year’s Best of Southern Utah contest, presented by St. George News, Canyon Media and title sponsor Dixie Power, begin online Feb. 1 and will continue through Feb. 15. Whether you’re an owner, an employee, a customer or a fan, this is your opportunity to speak up.
“2023 marks our fifth year of Best of Southern Utah, and we’ve been absolutely blown away with the response from the community,” Canyon Media general manager Ben Lindquist said. “We set out with the mission of finding a way to highlight incredible businesses in Southern Utah, and what we found was that as much as businesses love the ability to show why they’re the best, it has been the community who really loves the chance to let their voice be heard.”
Upgrades to the contest website will make the process of submitting nominations and ballots easier than ever before, Lindquist said. Again this year, Canyon Media has partnered with Elite Insights to keep your personal information secure and prevent fraudulent voting. Voting will begin Feb. 22 and run through March 8.
Gold and silver award winners will be crowned in 10 consolidated categories: Activities and Entertainment, Business and Services, Food and Beverage, General Services, Home and Garden, Lifestyle and Beauty, Medical, Schools, Shopping and Vehicles and Services.
Winners will be published online and in the Best of Southern Utah magazine on June 7. Adding to the prestige, they also receive a prize package featuring a gold or silver medal along with a window cling and a certificate celebrating their accomplishment.
The Best of Southern Utah magazine is designed to serve as a guidebook for both locals and visitors seeking the very finest that the area has to offer. Canyon Media will again manage production and publication of this year’s edition, which will be distributed throughout the local area over the summer.
“Between making sure the contest is run fairly, gathering all of the info and then producing 15,000 magazines, it can feel like more work than we ever thought,” Lindquist said. “But every time we see how much it means to a business owner, a tourist, a new move-in or a local trying to find the best of Southern Utah, it’s all worthwhile.”
Shane Brinkerhoff, director of news operations for St. George News, said he’s extremely proud of the growth Best of Southern Utah has seen since it started in 2019. Partnering with Dixie Power as title sponsor for the second year in a row brings even more visibility to the contest.
“Every year, we try to make enhancements and continue to make it even better,” he added. “We’re really excited about this year.”
The contest places a well-deserved spotlight on outstanding local business owners, operators and employees. From pizza parlors and diners to automotive shops and building contractors, small businesses are an invaluable thread in the fabric of Southern Utah and need the community’s support.
Best of Southern Utah continues to grow in popularity and participation. In 2022, the community submitted 970 nominations and cast over 600,000 votes to determine the winners.
“We’re all connected in one way or another to a small business, whether it’s people we know that work for them or people that own them,” Lindquist said. “We’re thrilled for another year of what has become a signature event for the Southern Utah business community.”
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