Best of Charleston 2026 Social Media Kit

Nominate your favorite businesses and people in the Best of Charleston 2026 reader contest.

DISCLAIMER: We look forward to Best of Charleston every year, and we want you to have fun too. However, you must play fair.

You can not pay for votes! We check every category for suspected fraudulent activity, and we have a strict no-cheating policy. This includes buying bots to vote, spamming the system for votes, etc. This can and will result in disqualification.

Paying for votes also includes offering goods or services in exchange for votes. For example: no free beer for votes and no contests within the contest. You can’t have an “enter to win a valuable prize in exchange for votes.” You can, however, offer your customers reasonable discounts to thank them for your business and to encourage them to vote.

Please participate the right way and campaign for your votes! We highly recommend advertising on the ballot to ensure top-of-mind awareness as people are placing their nominations. It is also tremendous advertising! This can absolutely give you an edge over the competition. For a full list of advertising options, shoot us an email to sales@charlestoncitypaper.com. We’ve even created fun graphics you can use on social, websites and emails (see below).

Click here for the Best of Charleston 2026 Google Drive Folder

How to participate

With our two-stage voting system that has drawn a record number of voters in past years, we want to make sure you have all the tools you need to give your business (or your favorite locals!) the edge.

Feel free to use anything you want from this page and use it to help get you over the top. The ballot’s nearly 400 categories are divided up into eight sections. So, see which category you’re in and start promoting!

When:
Nominations: Mon., Dec. 8 at 12 a.m. through Sun., Jan. 11 at 11:59 p.m.
Final Voting: Fri., Feb 13 at 12 a.m. through Sun., March 8 at 11:59 p.m.

Where: vote.charlestoncitypaper.com

How to share:

**New for this Year**

Create your own customized ballot

Looking to win more than one category? Send your voters a ballot with all the categories you are looking to win. Once they vote for you in all your categories, they can then proceed to the main ballot. Customized ballots are only $100.

You can create your ballot here!

The Usual:

Find the category group below that best describes you or your business. Then, click the link and find the specific category you’re hoping to be nominated for (i.e. Best Hair Salon is under Health and Beauty). Once you’ve selected your Best of category, copy that specific URL leading to Best Hair Salon (or whatever your category may be) and share it!

Not sure which category group you or your business falls under? Check out this breakdown of categories down below.

NOTE: Last year, we removed the Politics, News and Media category and reorganized some of those categories into other groups. For example, categories relating to media such as Best Local Podcast, Best Local Radio Show, etc., are now located under Culture, Arts and Entertainment. Other categories such as Best Charlestonian and Best City Council Member now fall under Attractions and City Living.

Attractions and City Living

Attractions, major events and festivals
Farmers markets and pop-up markets
Apartment complexes, neighborhoods, workplaces, churches, public spaces, hotels, bed and breakfasts and tour companies

Culture, Arts and Entertainment

Art galleries, museums
Actors, musicians and performers
Places of entertainment (movie theaters, music venues, bars with trivia nights)

Eating

Any food-related business
Ex. Best Barbecue, Best Caterer, Best Artisanal Food Product

Drinking

Pubs, bars, wine bars, dance clubs, adult establishments
Bartenders, bar staff, bouncers, sommeliers
Retail beer, wine and spirits shops
Specific types of drinks: frozen drinks, Bloody Marys, Boba/Bubble tea, coffee, juice/smoothies, martinis, etc.
Breweries, distilleries, taprooms

Health, Beauty & Fitness

Beauty services (hair salons, barber shops, nail salons, aestheticians, waxing salons, spas, tanning salons) Also: piercing shops, tattoo studios and tattoo artists
Health services (doctors, chiropractors, acupuncturists, dentists, hospitals, etc.)
Exercise-related businesses and people (yoga studios, pilates, cycling, barre, best athlete)

Recreation & Outdoors

Recreational activities and shops (bike shops, dive shops, surf shops, fish and tackle shops, bowling alleys golf course, marinas, places to buy a boat, etc.)
Exercise-related businesses and people (yoga studios, pilates, cycling, barre, best athlete)

Home Services

Utilities services and home repairs (electricians, plumbers, floor installation, home painter, home remodeler, etc.)
Security services
Insurance providers
Mortgage companies, real estate companies and realtors

Professional Services

Legal services
Auto services
Transportation services (limos, party bus, taxis)
Event-related services (photographers, videographers, event planners, wedding venues)

Shops & Wares