Your Official Charlotte’s Best Resource
Welcome to Charlotte’s Best
We live, shop, eat, and play in beautiful Charlotte and we wouldn’t have it any other way. In celebration of our great communities, The Charlotte Observer is bringing back Charlotte’s Best. This contest is truly designed to engage the community in celebrating the places, restaurants and local businesses we love.
In 2025, over 4,900 businesses, organizations, and individuals competed across 240 categories, and the community responded in record numbers. More than 412,000 votes were cast! We can't wait to see who you vote as BEST in 2026!
Charlotte's Best Promotion
Charlotte’s Best has strong support from CharlotteObserver.com,
VotedCharlottesBest.com, The Charlotte Observer newspaper and social media.
Nominations and voting are driven by print, digital and social promotions.
• CharlotteObserver.com Digital Display
• The Charlotte Observer Newspaper Ads
• Organic Social Media
• Paid Social Media
• Paid Targeted Eblast
• Eblast to CharlotteObserver.com Subscribers
• CharlotteObserver.com Home Page Takeovers
• Outdoor Advertising
The Charlotte Observer invests over $200,000 in marketing support promoting Charlotte’s Best, driving participation and ensuring success for the community and local businesses.
How does it work?
During the nomination period, we invite our audience to nominate outstanding establishments and professionals in Charlotte and the surrounding areas. Once our nominations are taken, we
will move them to a ballot for official voting. All nominations and voting will be done online at VoteCharlottesBest.com
Request your complimentary asset kit that includes badges ready to be incorporated into your social media posts, website, and emails during the contest to encourage voting and engage your audience!