There are a lot of ways to spend a day in Baldwin County.
Watch the sunrise over the Gulf. Launch a boat and spend the morning on the water. Grab a cup of coffee before work or linger over a long lunch with friends. Take the kids to the beach, hit the trails, browse a local shop or catch a game under the lights.
There are seafood dinners and burger joints, waterfront restaurants and neighborhood favorites. There are golf courses, fishing spots, festivals, live music, family attractions and enough places to grab a cold drink after a long day to keep weekends interesting.
And then there are the people who make all of it possible.
They're the restaurant owners serving the dishes locals recommend to visitors. They're the teachers, coaches, health care workers and small-business owners who know their communities. They're the mechanics who keep cars on the road, the contractors who help turn houses into homes and the nonprofit workers and volunteers who show up when their neighbors need them.
That's Baldwin County.
And that's what Gulf Coast Media's Best of Baldwin readers' choice contest is all about.
The annual contest gives Baldwin County residents a chance to recognize the people, businesses, organizations, places and experiences they believe represent the best of the county.
Nominations for Best of Baldwin 2027 open Wednesday, Sept. 16, and continue through Wednesday, Oct. 7, at www.gulfcoastmedia.com/bestof.
This year's contest also comes with a major change designed to make participating easier.
Gulf Coast Media heard from participants who said keeping up with daily nominations and voting had started to feel like a full-time job. This year, the contest is moving to a weekly format.
The rules remain essentially the same, but instead of nominating or voting every day, participants can do so once per week in each category.
The contest week resets every Sunday, meaning each new voting week begins Monday. That gives participants a fresh opportunity to nominate or vote in each category when the new week begins.
The open nomination round runs Sept. 16 through Oct. 7. During that period, anyone can nominate a person, business or organization located in Baldwin County. At the end of the nomination period, the top five nominees in each category will advance to the final voting round.
Finals voting runs Oct. 21 through Nov. 18. During the finals, voters can vote once per week in each category for one of the Top 5 finalists.
Another new feature for 2027 gives businesses, organizations and individuals a simpler way to encourage their supporters to participate.
The new 'Text to Vote’ gives entrants a paid additional option to allow supporters to text a designated code to Gulf Coast Media's voting number to record a vote rather than searching for the nominee on the online ballot.
For entrants without a Text to Vote promotion, voters will continue to use the free online ballot.
Businesses and organizations interested in pr their nomination or finalist status can learn more at www.gulfcoastmedia.com/bestofpromotebiz or contact their Gulf Coast Media advertising representative.
For the Eastern Shore and North Baldwin, contact Frank Kustura at frank@gulfcoastmedia.com.
For Central and South Baldwin, contact Jazmine Gonzalez at jazmine@gulfcoastmedia.com.
With a contest of this size, questions are bound to come up.
“A contest this large comes with a lot of questions, and we hear many of the same ones every year. We created an FAQ guide to help answer some of those questions and make the process easier to navigate,” Promotions Manager Whisper Vaughn-Edwards said. “But part of celebrating Baldwin County is making it fun, too. We wanted to give nominees and their supporters tools to brainstorm, get creative and share the people, businesses and organizations they’re proud to see recognized. Best of Baldwin is about getting the whole community involved in celebrating the best of where we live.”
Gulf Coast Media has created a searchable FAQ at www.gulfcoastmedia.com/bestofquestions where participants can find answers about nominations, voting, categories and other aspects of the contest.
There also is a free Best of Baldwin Promotion Toolkit available for nominees and finalists. The toolkit includes downloadable graphics and simple ideas for promoting a nomination or finalist status on social media, in businesses, through email and more.
As the contest grows, so does the attention surrounding it, and Gulf Coast Media reminds participants to be cautious about outside companies or individuals claiming to offer Best of Baldwin services.
Information about known scams and how to protect yourself is available at www.gulfcoastmedia.com/bestofscams.
Businesses interested in promotional opportunities should work directly with Gulf Coast Media or their advertising representative.
The contest will culminate with the Best of Baldwin Red Carpet Event in February 2027, an awards celebration honoring the county's winners.
This year's event will focus less on a long ceremony and more on celebrating, with a sit-down dinner, entertainment, red carpet photos, raffles, the Photo360 booth and a first look at the Best of Baldwin magazine.
Last year's redesigned event received overwhelming praise from attendees, and Gulf Coast Media plans to build on that format this year.
The event is ticketed. Check-in begins at 6 p.m., followed by cocktail hour. Guests must have purchased a ticket and be on the guest list to attend. Certain seats are reserved and tables will be numbered, with table assignments provided at check-in.
There will be winners. There will also be people who disagree with the results. That's part of a public-voted contest. Best of Baldwin is free to nominate, vote and win.
For those ready to take part, the first step is simple.
Think about the people you trust, the businesses you recommend, the places you return to and the experiences that make Baldwin County feel like home.
Then head over to www.gulfcoastmedia.com/bestof and start planning to make your nominations.
Because Baldwin County has plenty worth celebrating — and plenty of people worth celebrating, too.
