Best of the MOV is Clutch MOV’s Readers’ Choice contest all about uplifting our local, independently owned businesses, organizations, individuals, and places that you think are worthy of being called the best of the best! Ultimately, the top ranking nominees in each category will be featured in a the “Best of the MOV” guidebook available for residents and visitors alike, published on our website, and celebrated throughout the year! With over 100 categories spread across six ballots, Best of the MOV is truly a celebration of all things local.
BEST OF THE MOV VOTING HAS CLOSED. Best of the MOV’s Open Nomination period took place from January 17th – 31st. Best of the MOV Voting took place from February 20th – March 6th. Votes will be tallied and results will be announced in May, make sure you are a subscriber to be the first to know when the results are made public!
FAQs
What is the purpose of the Best of the MOV?
Best of the MOV is all about uplifting our local, independently-owned businesses, organizations, individuals, and places that you think are worthy of being called the best of the best. Ultimately, the top ranking nominees in each category will be featured in the “Best of the MOV” guidebook available for residents and visitors alike. While we could certainly list all of our favorites and call it a day, we wanted to engage you – our readers, and our community – to make this a truly community-created product.
Why is (category, person, business) not on the ballot?
We collected nominations from the community for two weeks in January in an effort to include as many eligible people, places, and businesses in Washington County, Ohio and Wood County, West Virginia as possible. After the nomination period, our team went through each and every nomination to ensure they were eligible before adding them to the ballot. If someone or something is missing, this means either they were not nominated during the open nomination period, or they were not eligible to be included in Best of the MOV.
What makes a business, person, or place eligible?
Businesses must be locally-owned and independent operated to quality for Best of the MOV. To quality, all entities must be based in Washington County, Ohio or Wood County, West Virginia. Lastly, our team reviews all nominations to ensure that the business, person, or place matches the nomination category. For example, to qualify for Best Jewelry Store, the business must primarily sell jewelry, rather than a home goods store that has a selection of jewelry, but primarily sells home goods. We strive to make sure our Best of the MOV winners truly represent the categories for which they are nominated. If a business is nominated for a category for which they are not eligible, we will notify the nominator to see if there is a more appropriate category.
Could you please add (new category, new nomination) to the ballot?
Thanks for the recommendation! Unfortunately, we cannot add names or categories to the ballot after the voting period has begun – but we’ll keep this in mind for next year!
Can a chain or franchise win Best Restaurant?
As our purpose is always to uplift local, businesses that are not locally or independently owned are not eligible. We realize this is not how every Reader’s Choice poll works, but we believe in supporting local whenever possible, and this is in line with the mission of Clutch MOV.
How does voting work?
After the nomination ends on January 31st, all nominations will be vetted to ensure they are qualified and eligible. Voting will begin on Saturday, February 20th. All voting will be housed right here on the Clutch MOV website. One ballot can be submitted per email address. We hope this will help make the process as fair as possible. If someone tries to submit more than one ballot, only the first one will be counted. The polls will be open from February 20th to March 6th. After the 6th, voting will be closed and all votes will be tallied. All voters will be notified via email when the winners are announced!
Do businesses who advertise have an advantage in the polls? Does a business have to buy an ad to be eligible to win?
No, and no. We are asking people to vote for their favorites – seeing an ad is not going to change someone’s favorite. And locally-owned business, including those not nominated or eligible, can advertise on Clutch MOV. We simply know there will be high traffic on that part of our website and want to give businesses a chance to be seen by our audience.
What will the winners receive?
The winner in each category will receive a Best of the MOV sticker and certificate, published recognition online, and included in our coveted Best of the MOV Guide! The top three in each category will also be included in the Best of the MOV Guide.