Voting is Now Closed!
Results will be published in our October 17 issue! Want to mingle and boogie with the Best of Santa Barbara®? Join us for Best Fest: A Celebration of the Best of Santa Barbara® on Thursday, October 17 at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum. Get Tickets Here.
Best of Santa Barbara® is the Santa Barbara Independent's annual readers' poll where our readers tell us who is the best across many categories. The ballot includes 213 categories which are grouped into 11 broader sections. The contest runs over the course of three months and results in the ultimate list of our readers' choice that will publish Thursday, October 17 in-print and online at www.independent.com
Nomination Round: From June 6 – July 3, you will determine who deserves to be a nominee for each category by nominating your favorites below. Please nominate in at least 20 different categories! Once the nomination round is over, we will create the voting ballot directly based on your responses. The number of final nominees in each category will vary based on the number of votes received in that category. Please note, there is no final submit button. Your nominations are recorded as you hit nominate.
Voting Round: Voting will be open from July 31 – August 28. Vote for your favorite nominees. Each voter is required to vote in at least 20 categories for their votes to be counted. Voters can only vote once in each category.
Results: Once the voting period is over we will tally up the winners and publish them in our annual Best Of Santa Barbara® issue hitting stands October 17, 2024.
Celebrate: Join us at our annual BEST FEST at the Santa Barbara HIstorical Museum to celebrate winning businesses. Thursday, October 17 5:30 - 9pm.
Please note, there is no final submit button. Your votes are recorded as you go. You are able to come back and change your votes or finish voting anytime before 11:59 p.m. on August 28. All nominations and voting will be done exclusively online. There will be no paper ballots. Don’t see a category that fits your favorite Santa Barbara spot? Let us know!
FAQ For Santa Barbara Businesses.