Each year, thousands of votes are cast in the Best of Oxford contest as Oxonians weigh in on their favorite businesses, restaurants, services and places.

There is not a day you can go in Oxford and not see a Best of Oxford logo on a door, wall of a business or website. This year, we expect record turn-out as people again make their voices heard.

We examined the voting process this year, and are pleased to roll out a new and improved way to cast your ballot for Best of Oxford in 2021.

We moved to a state-of-the-art online voting platform that is “best of breed” in online voting systems for Best Of contests. This allows for more secure voting and automatic tabulation of votes. The new-and-improved voting system is mobile-friendly and easier for voters to use.

We are also moving to a two-phase ballot, much like a primary and a general election. The nomination phase of Best of Oxford is a write-in ballot to nominate your favorite businesses by subcategory. The nomination phase begins Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021, and is open through Sunday Mar. 13, 2021. The top five businesses per sub-category will then move forward to the voting phase.

The voting phase of Best of Oxford 2021 will start on April 7 and go through April 30. Choosing between the top five nominated businesses per sub-category will make the voting phase easier and faster. Winners will be contacted after the voting ends.

The winners of Best of Oxford 2021 will be announced to the public in the July/August 2021 edition of Oxford Magazine and will also be online on the Oxford Eagle website.

Also updated this year is a redesigned logo, which reflects the unique character of Oxford and the emblem of the courthouse clock tower. It also has a brighter color scheme that will help businesses that win stand out as they proudly display their Best of Oxford 2021 badge and certificates.

You can nominate your favorite businesses now by visiting this link now through March 13.