Idaho’s Best of 2021 Awards

That’s a wrap for Idaho’s Best of 2021! It was a tough road, but fortunately we were able to cap off this year’s awards with a great event to announce the winners. But first let’s take a quick refresher to see how we got here.

How Idaho’s Best Winners are Determined

Stage One – Nominations to Determine Which Businesses are on the Ballot
The 2021 season kicked off with a nomination period in October 2020. Every single business on the ballot got there because it was nominated by Idaho residents during this period. As most categories have dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of potential contestants, only those 15 businesses with the most nominations moved on to the voting round for each category.

Stage Two – Voting to Determine Finalists
After a short breather to verify our nominees, voting took place from November 30 to December 18, 2020. To obtain the most reliable results, participants were restricted to one vote per category. The top vote-getters in each region and the state overall progressed to stage three as bona fide finalists.

Stage Three – Reviews and Reputation to Determine Winners
As we say, “Votes make you a finalist, and reviews will make you a winner!” Scoring isn’t complete with just votes. We do a little math involving your reviews from the previous 12 months, which (simplified) looks like this:

Votes + (5-Star Reviews x Rating) = Score
*Votes and reviews are averaged for multi-location businesses

We also verify that each finalist is in good standing with the Better Business Bureau. Although it’s not considered in the final calculation, you cannot have a grade lower than a B. No grade is okay, but a bad one is not.

Idaho’s Best “Business Rally” … and the 2021 Awards

This year we faced an uphill battle (as most of you likely did as well). Despite the state of affairs, we polled you for your opinions on how exactly we should announce awards this year. An overwhelming 91 percent of those of you who responded indicated that you still wanted an in-person event, and we strived to meet that request.

After multiple venues falling through, loads of red tape, and some last-minute changes, we were able to host the Idaho’s Best Business Awards at the remarkable Chateau des Fleurs. Many of you made sacrifices so that more businesses could attend, such as switching nights, reducing your party size, or even sitting in the Grand Hallway. We thank all of you for your incredible support, particularly our sponsors, without whom this event would not have happened.

For those who attended, there were a few differences this year other than the venue and the masks. In order to hold the event at all, it needed to be religious or political in nature. After convincing Brodie that starting a new religion may not be the best direction to go, we decided we could make the political angle work. We were honored to have guest speakers to reinforce our theme for the night, which was a rallying cry for supporting Idaho’s many small businesses.

If this was your first year to attend, we thank you for coming and hope you don’t expect the same type of political event next year, because we are totally committed to going back to a fancy party that is focused on food, fun, and you.

View Your Idaho’s Best of 2021 Winners

How to Capitalize on Your Idaho’s Best Recognition

We jumped the gun on 2021 just so you can use the recognition of being Idaho’s Best for the whole year. All levels of winners receive digital resources that can be used to promote your new status and show off to your audience, building consumer confidence in your brand. We also have a few other tools that you can utilize for promotion.

Idaho’s Best Plaques

Idaho's Best of 2021 Plaque

Proudly display your Idaho’s Best award with a high-quality 8″x10″ engraved plaque!

Idaho’s Best Magazine

Idaho's Best of 2020 Magazine

Designed to be a coffee table type of publication that residents and businesses will hold on to and use as a reference guide, the magazine will give you and your company positive exposure throughout 2021.