ELLSWORTH — The Ellsworth Area Chamber of Commerce “Best of 2024’”Awards Competition is now underway. The community is invited to acknowledge favorite local businesses with their votes. The first round of the competition officially kicked off this past Monday, Jan. 22, with voting accessible online through the chamber’s website.

“Our ‘Best of’ Award program is an important way the community can support their favorite local businesses and recognize them for their contributions and service to their customers,” said Paul Bauer, Ellsworth Chamber Board President. “The campaign creates awareness of just how many great businesses our community has. Every vote lets our business community know they are valued.”

All Ellsworth Area Chamber of Commerce members are eligible for awards in various categories. New to this year’s competition is the Retail Shopping category.

“The addition of the Retail Shopping category is exciting,” said Kim Beebe, Ellsworth Chamber Executive Director Team Member. “We’ve had several new retailers join our business community in the past few years. The addition of this categories reflects the growing number of boutiques and stores that contribute so much to Ellsworth and our downtown's vibrancy.”

Additional categories that are a part of the competition include Best New Business, Best Restaurant/Bar/Tavern, Best Tourism Destination/Attraction, Best Health & Wellness, Best Professional Home Services, Best Professional Services, Best Non-Profit/Civic Group/Religious Organization, and Best Customer Service.

The “Best of 2024” Awards competition will take place in two rounds. First, the community is asked to vote for their favorites in each category. The top three nominees in each category, determined by the highest online votes, will proceed to the final voting round. During this stage, the community will cast their votes once more to decide the ultimate award recipients. The winners will be announced at the chamber’s Annual Awards Banquet, scheduled for Monday, Feb/ 19, at Kilkarney Hills. The award recipients will receive a commemorative poster to display at their business and have bragging rights until next year’s competition.

Get your votes in now! The initial round of voting will conclude at midnight on Wednesday, Jan. 31. Finalists will then advance to the last round of voting, which will take place from Friday, Feb. 2, through Friday, Feb. 9, 2024.

For the official rules and voting, visit the Ellsworth Area Chamber of Commerce website at EllsworthChamber.com and click on the “Best of 2024” icon. Watch for updates on the chamber’s Facebook page @EllsworthChamber. Individuals with questions can email the chamber at eteam@ellsworthchamber.com.

Submitted by Ellsworth Area Chamber of Commerce