WHEELING — Ohio Valley residents once again have the opportunity to make their voices heard in supporting their favorite local businesses, organizations, people and attractions.

The Best of the Ohio Valley Readers’ Choice kicks off today, allowing readers to celebrate and support the region’s great local institutions by raising their profile and helping them gain new fans.

“The Best of the Ohio Valley Readers’ Choice has long been a wonderful opportunity for the people of the valley to shine a spotlight on the businesses and organizations in the valley that they love,” said Perry Nardo, regional publisher of The Times Leader. “We’re so happy that we can bring this event back for another year to give our community another chance to offer that support.”

The nomination round opens today at timesleaderonline.com and theintelligencer.net. Many of last year’s top contenders already are included, but no deserving nominee should be left out. Be sure to nominate your favorites in any or all categories by July 23.

Voting will open Aug. 26.

Voters at that time will be able to create a top five in all categories, then come back in September to determine the winner and two finalists in each.

The Best of the Ohio Valley Readers’ Choice contest is designed to provide maximum visibility for local businesses.

Several features of the contest make it an especially powerful spotlight for the Ohio Valley’s best:

∫ Nominees are vetted and fraudulent voting is guarded against.

Both of these efforts take time and work, but they make for a far better contest.

∫ The contest includes a “primary” voting round.

Some categories will start out with several nominees. To make sure the winners reflect the opinion of the broader community, the contest starts with a first round to whittle the field down to a manageable number, like an election primary.

∫ Daily voting is encouraged, with the public allowed to vote once per day per category.

Daily voting does two things for local businesses. It encourages people to engage with the contest over a period of several days, which raises the visibility of everyone nominated. It also rewards passion. Some larger businesses and organizations naturally have more name recognition, and will always get a lot of votes, without even trying very hard.

But name recognition is only part of being the best. Having passionate supporters is another dimension of being the best.

In the Best of the Ohio Valley Readers’ Choice, the businesses that reach out to their customers and encourage daily voting have a chance to level the playing field.

To access the contest, go to: timesleaderonline.com or theintelligencer.net and click on the Best of the Ohio Valley Readers’ Choice link.

Help show local businesses some love by making sure to nominate your favorites and vote for them in Best of the Ohio Valley Readers’ Choice.