The annual Best of Grand contest kicks off Thursday, July 21, when nominations open. The nomination period lasts through July 28, and businesses must be nominated to appear on the ballot.

This year’s contest features 128 questions across 9 topics, including new additions Health & Wellness and Home. Sky-Hi News also added more than 25 questions to the contest based on reader feedback.

The annual contest will run a bit differently this year with three phases: a nomination period, the first round of voting and a final round of voting.

• Nomination period from July 21-28: The contest starts with a nomination round, where readers can propose businesses, organizations and people for all of the categories. It takes only one qualified nomination for a nominee to move to the first voting round. Last year’s top three will automatically be nominated in qualifying categories
• First voting round from Aug. 4-11: In the first voting round, readers vote to winnow the list of nominated businesses, organizations and people down to the top 10 for each category.
• Final voting round from Aug. 25 to Sept. 1: This is the final voting round, and the businesses, organizations and people with the most votes in each category will be crowned Best of Grand.

Also new this year: Participants can vote once per day in each category. The winner and two finalists in each category will be announced in late October with the publication of the Best of Grand guide.

Nominations can be made at SkyHiNews.com/bestofgrand. Find more information about how the contest works at skyhinews.com/about-the-best-of-grand/.

To help promote the contest, participating businesses can pick up a poster at the Sky-Hi News office, 424 E Agate Ave., Granby, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays or by appointment.