Nominations open for Best of Clarendon 2021

The last year has been filled with stress, strife and loss, which is all the more reason to celebrate the businesses and people making Clarendon County thrive through any struggle.

The public can now submit nominations for Best of Clarendon 2021, The Sumter Item's annual reader's choice contest that last year brought in more than 75,000 votes.

Nominations can be made daily at www.theitem.com/bestofclarendon in more than 200 categories. The nomination period will end on March 16, and voting will begin the following day.

New categories this year include Best French Fries, Best Elected Official, Best Nurse and Best Air Purification Company.

Returning categories span Clarendon County from shopping to business and industry to restaurants to education to professional and medical services. Also returning will be the Best of the Best categories, which include Best New Business (opened in 2020), Best Place to Work, Best Boss and Best Locally Owned Business.

"Best of Clarendon has become a point of pride for people and organizations across our community. Especially in 2021 as our area bounces back from the pandemic and continues improving the overall quality of life for our citizens, Best Of recognizes public support for local organizations," Sumter Item Publisher Vince Johnson said.

Johnson said the contest has seen "tremendous growth in participation" in recent years, skyrocketing when the contest was renamed Best Of in 2018 and allowing for more access to voting via online balloting. Last year, people voted more than 75,000 times for their favorite teacher, barbecue, mechanic, doctor, chef, event, nonprofit, school, happy hour, air-conditioning repair and more.

Winners will be publicly released in the Best of Clarendon magazine, which will be inserted in The Sumter Item's Weekend Edition June 26-28. The red carpet winners celebration was held virtually in 2020 because of the pandemic, and with vaccines being administered now, The Item is tentatively planning an in-person event for Thursday, July 29.

Nominations can be made at www.theitem.com/bestofclarendon now through March 16. To participate, simply type in your nomination, and all eligible nominees will appear on the ballot within 24-48 hours. Any person can write in a nomination in as few or as many categories as she or he would like. After a nominee is on the ballot, no additional steps are necessary until voting begins. There will also be ballots printed periodically in The Sumter Item so voters can write their choices in and submit to The Item office, 36 W. Liberty St.

Then, every person can vote in every category once per day March 17-April 15. No subscription to The Sumter Item or purchase is necessary to vote.

All winners who receive the most votes in their category - you can win in as many categories as you're nominated for - will receive a free Best of Clarendon window cling, framed certificate and ticket to the red carpet event. A winners list will also be published in the magazine and on the Best of Clarendon website throughout 2021.

If you or your business gets nominated, register at www.theitem.com/bestofclarendon to receive a free promotion kit and to learn more about promoting your nomination. This is also how winners will be contacted.

If you have any questions about promoting your nomination, contact your Sumter Item sales representative. If you do not have one, email Devin McDonald at devin@theitem.com, Karen Cave at karen@theitem.com or Mark Pekuri at mark@theitem.com.

"We hear it every day. People use the Best of Clarendon list to make buying decisions. When people move to town, they want to see the list and get the magazine," Johnson said. "It's a great way to build community and build local businesses."