Important Dates:
You can nominate your favorites here from June 3 - June 21.
Then from July 22 - August 9, you can vote amongst the top 5 nominees.
Who can enter?
Any Allegheny County person or business, or any person or business that has a strong centralized presence in Allegheny County can enter for any category. We do fact-check your nominations — and we don’t just check them for spelling errors or to make sure you actually nominated Pittsburgh folks. We check each entry and eliminate any nomination we find to have posted anything racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, or hateful to others. We also limit nominees to three categories.
Do businesses have to pay to be represented on the ballot?
Best Of PGH 2024 results are based 100 percent on the public’s nominations and votes. We offer Best Of PGH advertising packages which include ad spots on the ballot, advertising in our print issues and digital ads across pghcitypaper.com. These advertising packages give businesses more exposure, but do NOT guarantee anything for the contest. (But yes, winners are notified before this issue hits the stands and our sales team does sell them ads, which help support City Paper throughout the rest of the year.) And no, City Paper staff members aren’t allowed to vote.
I don’t see a category from last year, what happened?
Every year, we take a close look at the categories from the previous year's ballot. Some categories get added based on reader feedback/suggestions. Others are dropped due to low engagement. Some categories are combined. Some are edited for clarity. 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].
When will finalists and winners be notified?
We do our best to notify the Top 5 finalists in late June/early July prior to the voting round. We will notify the Top 3 winners in August after the voting round ends. We ask winners to keep it a secret until the Best Of issue (September 18).
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 email [email protected]. Make sure to sign up for our newsletters which will include important information and dates.
Can I come to the Best of PGH Party?
Of course! We welcome everyone to come celebrate your chosen Best of PGH winners! There’ll be food, drinks, and, of course, music and entertainment from our winners. Are you a Best of PGH winner? Make sure to check your emails to get tickets. This is your party and we want to celebrate with you!
Can I harass, threaten or say hateful things to the staff members of City Paper?
No! We will use our discretion with each interaction we have. If you go out of your way to harass, accuse or threaten any employee, you will be removed from the ballot and banned from Best Of. We are fair and impartial during this poll and we hope and remind you all to act the same.
I’d like to buy an ad in the poll or sponsor the Best of PGH Party.
Thanks for supporting local journalism! You can advertise by contacting our Advertising Director Rachel Winner; [email protected].
Having issues with the ballot or have another question about the Best of PGH poll?
Contact Rachel Winner.
Participate in Best of PGH
Best of PGH Frequently Asked Questions
