✓ About this section:

Each year, readers of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette nominate their favorite people, places and businesses in 63 Arkansas counties for the honor of Best of the Best by filling out the online Readers’ Choice ballot. The Top 5 section announces the top reader nominations. This is your opportunity to vote and pick the Best of the Best. In this section, you will find the top five nominees for more than 100 categories, divided into seven sections: Dining, Health & Beauty, Kids & Family, Places, Shopping, Services and Spirits. Some categories may contain more than five nominees as a result of tied counts of nominations. Nominees are listed in alphabetical order.

✓ How to vote:

To vote for your favorites, go to arkansasonline.com/bestof2023. Create an account using a valid email address, and choose your favorite nominees from the dropdown category menus. You may submit your picks at any time, and you have until midnight Sept. 3 to change your selections, but you may cast only one vote per category per person. Readers who submit votes for at least 40 categories will be entered in a drawing to win $250.

✓ Winners:

After voting for your favorite nominees online, look for the winners and finalists to be published on Sunday, Oct. 22, in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s Best of the Best special section. This section will include feature stories and photographs of winning businesses, as well as the complete final-award list.