HOW DOES THE NOMINATION ROUND WORK?
The Nomination Round takes place January 17–February 7 and is purely based on write-ins. NEW THIS YEAR - Each individual will be permitted to submit nominations once (no need to return day after day). After the Nomination Round, nominations will be tallied and the businesses with the most nominations will move on to the Voting Round.
DOES A BUSINESS HAVE TO PAY TO BE ON THE BALLOT?
No! The Best of the South Shore results are based on the public’s nominations and votes. We provide this ballot as a service to help promote small businesses on the South Shore. Participation is free, and being an advertiser does not guarantee a win.
WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH THE ADS ON THE BALLOT?
We offer BOSS advertising packages which include ad spots on the ballot, ads in the magazine, and ads across SouthShoreHomeLifeandStyle.com. These advertising packages provide businesses with opportunities for more exposure, but do NOT guarantee a win.
WHY IS MY NOMINATION NOT SHOWING UP ON THE BALLOT?
Nominations are collected by our software during the Nomination Round but no entries will be made public until the Voting Round. The top 5 businesses that receive the most nominations will move on to the Voting Round. In certain cases, when a small number of businesses are nominated in a category, fewer than five will advance.
HOW SPECIFIC DO I NEED TO BE WHEN NOMINATING?
The more accurate the better. Please use the correct business name when nominating. Check your spelling and be specific if you are nominating a person. For example, if you’re nominating “John” for Best Bartender, please specify “John Smith at The Tinker’s Son.”
I MISSED THE NOMINATION ROUND THIS YEAR. HOW CAN I BE MORE PREPARED NEXT TIME?
Sign up for our emails! We’ll send you occasional emails with important BOSS information.
HOW MANY TIMES CAN I NOMINATE A BUSINESS?
You may cast one nomination per category.
HOW DOES THE VOTING ROUND WORK?
The 5 businesses that receive the most nominations in each category during the Nomination Round advance to the Voting Round. Voting takes place February 24 - March 18.
HOW MANY TIMES CAN I VOTE FOR A BUSINESS DURING THE VOTING ROUND?
You may vote once per day, per category.
WHY ARE SOME CATEGORIES REMOVED?
Every year, we take a close look at the categories from the previous year's ballot. Some categories are added based on reader feedback and suggestions. Others are dropped due to low engagement. Some categories are combined. We do our best to consider the impact of these changes, but we’d like to hear from you if you have comments or suggestions. Please email those messages to [email protected].
HOW CAN I PROMOTE MY BUSINESS TO GET MORE NOMINATIONS/ VOTES?
Email your clients, and friends and family to nominate and vote for your business. Everyone loves to support local businesses. See above for our free graphics, marketing tips, and advertising packages.
CAN I NOMINATE A BUSINESS OUTSIDE THE SOUTH SHORE?
We consider nominations for any businesses in the coastal region south of Boston to Cape Cod.
CAN CHAIN STORES AND FRANCHISES BE NOMINATED?
We love to see locally-owned small businesses shine, however some categories just don’t have many locally owned businesses. It’s up to the voters to say what they support.
I DON’T HAVE TIME TO FILL OUT THE WHOLE BALLOT. CAN I COME BACK AND FINISH LATER?
Yes! As long as you’ve already registered (entered your email address on the form on your first nomination or vote), you can pick up where you left off. When you return to the ballot on the same device, you should be automatically logged in and able to see your previous selections. If you aren’t logged in and you know that you’ve already registered, click the “Already Entered?” link at the top of the ballot, and then enter the email address you previously used.
WHY DO I HAVE TO BE REGISTERED?
Our ballot software requires that users create an account to track your selections. This helps us guard against fraudulent voting and allows you to revisit the ballot before the deadline to make changes and additional nominations. There is no password needed!
HOW DO I FIND OUT WHO THE WINNERS ARE?
Winners will be announced online in June and in the Summer Issue of South Shore Home, Life & Style, which is available on most newsstands. Subscribe now to get the BOSS issue delivered right to your door.
WILL THERE BE A BOSS BASH PARTY IN 2025?
Yes! We are planning to have a fabulous event in 2025. Details are TBD. Subscribe to our newsletters and follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates. If you'd like to be involved reach out for sponsorship opportunities or as a participating restaurant.
WHICH BUSINESSES WILL BE FEATURED IN THE BOSS SUMMER ISSUE?
Our summer issue will feature BOSS winners more prominently than ever before. BOSS winners and 1 runner-up for every category will be listed in the Summer 2025 issue as well as additional Editor’s Picks.
WHEN WILL FINALISTS AND WINNERS BE NOTIFIED?
We do our best to notify finalists early in the Spring (typically by email, please be sure we have the proper contact for the business sent to [email protected]) prior to the Voting Round. The best way to find out if you are a finalist is to check the ballot. We begin to notify winners in late March. We ask winners to keep their good news a secret until the winners are announced publicly (in June).
WHY WASN’T I NOTIFIED THAT I WAS A FINALIST OR A WINNER?
With hundreds of categories and thousands of contenders, it’s a challenge to maintain an up-to-date list of contact information. If the nomination and/or voting round has ended and we haven't contacted you yet, please fill out this form and we'll let you know your status (if you've been named a finalist or winner). If you know your status, feel free to send us your best contact name, email address, mailing address, and phone numbers at [email protected] so we can keep you in the loop.