Photo: At the 2016 Biz X Awards Gala, Anne’s On The Avenue, owned by Anne Waters (second from right), accepted the “Trendiest Fashion Boutique” Award from Publisher Jones (far right). Waters is shown with her sales associates who are a huge part of their successful 27 years in business: Rebecca Woitte, Tylene Stephensen and Lynn Shaw. Photo by Lori Deschaine.

Get Your Nominations In The 20th Annual 2017 Biz X Awards

2017 — a big year for anniversaries. Pointing out the obvious, it is the 150th anniversary of Ontario and Canada and locally, Windsor’s 125th birthday, the 50th anniversary of St. Clair College and many area businesses we have profiled on our pages celebrate huge milestones this year too. And if you have been paying attention, you know it is also the 20th year of publishing for Biz X magazine — which means, 20 years of Biz X Awards!

Now, our biggest awards year yet is here . . . it all begins with the release of the Biz X Award categories in our summer edition (the magazine you are reading now!).

Last year we revamped parts of our process to take advantage of new technology on our website, which added plenty of social media interaction. In fact, it was so successful, that we are keeping the same format for 2017.

Here again is a quick rundown on how the awards process works. Once the categories are released, nominations are accepted on our website, BizXmagazine.com.

Our readers nominate the businesses and people in Windsor Essex who they believe are the best in each category and deserve to be recognized. So, if you own a business, ask your customers to nominate you ASAP!

Nominations are accepted from mid-July until September 12th at noon. Whenever possible please include some supporting evidence for your nominee, on our online form. ***If you choose the wrong category, we reserve the right to move it to the appropriate category so that your nomination counts.

Nominees are made public on the Biz X website when voting commences at 9 a.m. on September 13 and continues through to September 27 at 5 p.m.

During the voting period you can visit the Nomination Page on the Biz X magazine website and cast your vote for your choice to win the 2017 Biz X Award in its respective category. You can also vote using your smart phone or tablet via our mobile friendly voting site.

Keep in mind the nomination and voting process is not a popularity contest — it only takes ONE nomination to be included in the voting poll. It is always best though to get a few people to nominate you or your business to ensure you are nominated and can participate.

Once you nominate an individual or a business you will receive a confirmation email showing it was properly submitted. If you do not receive this email (check your spam folder too), please check all sections were filled out, you have done the captcha form and re-submit.

If you or your business is fortunate to be nominated, you will be contacted to supply further details on your qualifications, history, and to confirm information supplied by nominators. And once the polls open in September, don’t be shy to toot your own horn. Do whatever you can to get your customers to vote for you on the Biz X website — use social media and your own website to get those votes coming in!

Remember that vote tallies are only a portion of the overall selection process. All nomination forms received, along with company background information supplied, and voting poll results are then reviewed by the Biz X panel of Judges after the polls close.

The next step involves the Judges meeting in the fall to determine the final winners. The Judges will not know the final winner as voting during this meeting is done by secret ballot. The final results are posted in the November/December edition of Biz X magazine, released mid-November.

In the past 20 years, Biz X has awarded over 655 recipients in all kinds of industries, so don’t be discouraged if a certain category is not here as it may have been previously awarded (check our website to see a list of past winners). Now that we have entered our 20th year, certain categories from years back will be re-used to allow for new businesses in those industries to participate.

For 2017, you will see our six staple categories awarded each year: “Outstanding New Business,” “Powerhouse Professional,” “Artist of the Year,” “Best Little Retail Shop,” “Restaurant That’s Hot, Hot, Hot” and “The Most Wonderful Event Of The Year.”

Listed below are the four major sections containing the 24 various categories. While the majority of nominations and votes come from Essex County residents, US citizens and those living outside Essex County can vote in any category, since they could be patrons of the business.

Please follow the rules below to ensure that your nomination counts . . .

1. Only nominate ONE company/person per award category. Businesses/people are only permitted to win one award each year. All nominees must be over 19 years of age.

2. Be certain that the company or individual you are nominating fits with the category’s criteria.

3. The business/person you nominate must be located (or reside) in Windsor or Essex County and NOT be part of a national franchise/chain (except for categories in the PEOPLE section) or non-profit organization. The PEOPLE section is being judged on the individual and not the company itself and those working for national chains/franchises and non-profits are eligible to win only in this section and category #22 for events.

4. Every business in Essex County (with the exceptions above) has the opportunity to win a Biz X Award. Please note: no media may participate.

The Biz X Awards are open to ALL businesses in the region (except for those noted above). You do not have to be an advertiser with the magazine to be nominated or to win. Judges do not know who is an advertiser (past or present) to ensure there are no biases or conflicts of interest.

Good luck to all area businesses and if you are lucky enough to win . . . you and your guests receive a complimentary invitation to the 20th annual “Biz X Awards Gala” (held November 17 at St. Clair College Centre For The Arts with decor by Designs by Diane and Joe McParland as MC); a plaque from The Trophy Boys in Windsor; a write-up in our Nov/Dec awards issue and are declared #1 in your category.

So, be sure to check your email account in August or early September to see if we contact you about an award nomination! Watch for the September issue to learn how to vote in the 20th annual “Biz X Awards!”

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE 2017 BIZ X AWARD CATEGORIES