The Bay Area Reporter has kicked off balloting for its annual LGBTQ Best of the Bay readers' poll and the paper has a new mascot — the image of a Wild Parrot of Telegraph Hill, San Francisco's official animal. It kind of has a rainbow likeness of its own.
As in previous years, now is the time for readers to cast their choices for their favorite people, places, and things in the Bay Area. There are multiple categories, and voting continues through midnight Sunday, June 30, but don't wait until Pride Sunday — get those ballots in now.
Categories include Arts and Culture, Community, Dining, Nightlife, Nightlife Venues and Events, Services and Shopping, and Weddings and Destinations.
"In arts, we've got an expanded collection of events and venues to choose from as well as some new offerings," said arts and nightlife editor Jim Provenzano. "In nightlife, we've kept track of all the closings and openings of several bars and nightclubs. And in dining, we've completely revamped the options for restaurants and expanded those selections as well.
"I look forward to seeing our readers decide which are their favorites," he added.
In the Community category, readers can choose their favorite Bay Area LGBTQ community center, LGBTQ nonprofits, and LGBTQ fundraiser. The cultural district category gained an entry with the Lakeshore LGBTQ Cultural District in Oakland, in addition to San Francisco's three — the Castro LGBTQ Cultural District, the Leather & LGBTQ Cultural District, and the Transgender District.
The Besties issue will be published August 1. Everyone who casts a ballot — either online or mail-in (the ballot appears in the June 6 print edition) — is eligible to win $500 in a random drawing. (People must complete at least 75% of the survey to be eligible for the prize drawing.)
To complete the ballot online, click here. The survey should take between 10-15 minutes.
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