36 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • JANUARY 2018 36 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • SEPTEMBER 2017 36 LONGISLANDPRESS.CO M • SEPTEMBER 201-----------TUTU111
PRESS BUSINESS
BEST OF LONG ISLAND SPOTLIGHT
Nothing but the best
Being the best at whatever talent
you have, that’s what stimulates life,
legendary NFL coach Tom Landry
famously said. But oftentimes
whatever people say is “the best”
can be open to debate.
That’s where the Bethpage Best
of Long Island contest comes
in. After 75 days of voting, the
polls closed on Dec. 15 and we’re
currently tallying the results and
weeding out any fraudulent voting
or obvious abuse that we find. Our
independent auditor will then
review our results before certifying
the fairness and accuracy of our
findings.
And when the winners are
announced in February, those that
earn 2018 Best of Long Island titles
in a wide range of talents will be
able to shout it from the rooftops
with confidence that they’re bona
fide first rate in their respective
fields.
Don’t believe us? Look no further
than the numbers that have come
in so far for proof that Long
Islanders are genuinely enthusiastic
about voting for their favorite local
businesses, places and people.
More than 909,000 votes were cast
in this contest. Not only is that a
16 percent increase over last year,
it’s also about a quarter of a million
more votes than were cast in the
2016 presidential elections by voters
in Nassau or Suffolk counties.
The contest, now in its 13th year
and sponsored by
Bethpage Federal
Credit Union,
also had 83,217
registered voters, 71
percent more than
the 2017 contest.
It had 59,258
nominations,
which is up 1.2
percent.
And that’s all before we even
get to the dozens of categories
the public judged, ranging from
restaurants that competed in a
long list of cuisine styles to the
dozens of categories of health care
professionals that were ranked.
Then there were the many winners
within the categories of arts
and entertainment, automotive,
clothing, education, home and
garden, nightlife and spirits, pets,
services, shopping, sports and
activities or weddings.
All that is why we ask everyone to
please be patient while we crunch
the numbers. As soon as we know,
you will, too. We’ll even throw a big
party so the winners can bask in
their glory. You’re all invited.
In the meantime, while we wait for
the results to be finalized, just like
presidential elections, we started
looking ahead to the next contest
as soon as the voting ended. Didn’t
see your favorite business, person or
place on the ballot this time? Here’s
how to fix that: Nominate them in
the 2019 Best of Long Island contest.
Take your time. Nominations open
Jan. 1 and close Aug. 31. And then
don’t forget to vote early and often
next fall when the polls open again
Oct. 1 through Dec. 15. Voters are
allowed one vote per IP address
per day for each category. All these
details and more can be found at
bestoflongisland.com.
Remember, we couldn’t have called
any of the winners “the best”
without the hundreds of thousands
of votes we received. When it’s
all over, it was you, not us, that
awarded these honors to the small
businesses that call Long Island
home. And for that, we thank you.
Key Dates To Remember
JAN. 1-AUG. 31: Nominations accepted for 2019 contest
FEBRUARY: 2018 contest winners announced
MARCH: Party for 2018 contest winners at location TBA
OCT. 1-DEC. 15: Votes accepted in the 2019 contest
Go to bestoflongisland.com for more info
“We couldn’t have called any of
the winners ‘the best’ without the
hundreds of thousands of votes we
received.”