Voting now open for the 2023 Best of Ocean City® Awards with new categories added.
Ocean City, Md, July 26, 2022: OceanCity.com announces winners in the 11th Annual Best of Ocean City® contest. The 75 winners led all participants of each poll in a contest that included over 230 businesses in four broad categories. Seacrets, Fisher’s Popcorn, Thrasher’s Fries, Odyssea Watersports, and Old Pro Golf were among the first place winners who have won an award in each of the polls over the last 11 years. The 2023 Best of Ocean City® polls were also posted online today to start the voting for next year’s winners.
Background & History of the Best of Ocean City® Contest
The Best of Ocean City® contest, where visitors and locals alike nominate and vote for their favorite Ocean City businesses, is the longest running and largest local popular vote poll to celebrate the very best businesses in the Ocean City area. OceanCity.com’s contest is the only Best of competition not tied to advertising or sponsorship. Instead, the Best of Ocean City® contest relies on the enthusiasm and support of the 1+ million visitors on OceanCity.com and the 213,000+ Facebook fans to propel the most engaged businesses to the top. In addition to the voting, OceanCity.com presents an editor’s choice winner as another option in most categories. These winners are chosen by a panel of locals and they offer an additional recommendation to visitors looking for the best places to go in Ocean City.
“This contest started when hotels were coming to us wanting this information — guests in the hotels wanted recommendations for the best businesses in a variety of categories. That is why it’s imperative that the Best of Ocean City not be related to advertising,” said OceanCity.com CEO Ann McGinnis Hillyer. “We want to provide every visitor in Ocean City with real, honest recommendations for the best businesses in town.”
2022 Winners
Winning an OceanCity.com Best of Ocean City® award is a triumph for Ocean City businesses because it shows that their fans are willing to take the time to vote. Winners are prominently recognized within the local community and receive a coveted photo award plaque printed on metal and a distinctive window decal to display.
The background photograph on the 2022 winners’ awards was taken by Laura Carotenuto whose entry won the photo contest on OceanCity.com designed to find an iconic picture of Ocean City. The awards depict a different photo each year, but they all commemorate the winning businesses who represent the very Best of Ocean City®.
You can find all the winners online here.
Top Categories – Top Vote-Getters 2022
The Best Restaurants in Ocean City category received the most votes overall. There were 16 polls and tens of thousands of votes, some in a single category. 2022’s Best Pizza was the poll attracting the most votes across all categories. The top 3 polls with the most votes and their winners in the Best Restaurants category include:
- Lombardi’s Trattoria won for Best Pizza,
- Bayside Skillet won for the Best Breakfast, and
- Bull on the Beach won for the Best BBQ in Ocean City.
The Best of the Boardwalk category included 8 polls. The businesses with the most votes in the boardwalk polls were:
- Thrasher’s French Fries which won the best fries on the boardwalk,
- Fisher’s Popcorn won for best caramel corn, and
- Souvenir City won for the Best shop on the boardwalk.
The Best Bars in Ocean City got the third most votes in the online polls and the highest vote-getters included:
- Seacrets which won in the The Best Bar Overall poll,
- Fager’s Island won in the Best Place to View a Sunset poll, and
- Harborside Bar & Grill won with the third most votes in the Best Drinks poll.
The Best Things to Do in Ocean City pulled up the rear in terms of total votes cast in a category, but the Best Boat Tour poll attracted well more than a thousand votes for the top winner, OC Bay Hopper. The Best Rainy Day Activity winner was Old Pro’s indoor course followed by the Flagship Cinemas as the runner-up. Old Pro also won the Best Miniature Golf poll to bring in the third highest number of votes in the Activities category.
New Polls Added to 2023 Voting
2023 brings the addition of at least 3 new polls to reflect changes to COVID restrictions and the dietary preferences of Ocean City visitors: Best Brunch, Best Buffet, and Best Restaurant that caters to dietary restrictions.
For a complete list of winners and to vote for the Best of Ocean City® 2023 visit www.OceanCity.com/Best-of.
Businesses are Encouraged to Promote
Businesses can now promote their participation in the Best of Ocean City awards by visiting www.oceancity.com/best-of-promotions. A business that is not listed in a category can still encourage their friends and fans to write them in under “Other.” Businesses can also email beseen@oceancity.com to be considered for inclusion in one of the polls.
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About OceanCity.com OceanCity.com was launched in 2019 and is the largest private site dedicated to Ocean City and the visitors and residents who love this coastal resort town. With over 1 million website visitors annually, over 65,000 newsletter subscribers, and over 250,000 social media followers, OceanCity.com is clearly engaging Ocean City fans with the news, blogs, webcams, and other content that they want. OceanCity.com has been home to the Best of Ocean City® contest since 2011.
ALL WINNERS CAN BE FOUND ONLINE HERE: https://www.oceancity.com/the-best-of-ocean-city-2022-winners/
VOTING FOR 2023 CAN BE FOUND HERE: https://www.oceancity.com/best-of-ocean-city-voting/
PHOTO GALLERY FOR BEST OF OCEAN CITY CAN BE FOUND HERE: https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipO1N4A2KDC-9MHiiqjRhiLNoaxo4wbEPysdTTqW