Andalusia Star-News Readers' Choice Awards: How Voting Works & How to Win

What the Andalusia Star-News Readers' Choice Awards is and who runs it

The Andalusia Star-News Readers' Choice Awards is a public vote for local businesses in Andalusia, Alabama. The Andalusia Star-News, a newspaper covering Covington County, hosts the ballot on its web domain and prints the winners in a special issue. Readers choose the favorites in each best-of category, and the page presents the result as a reader choice rather than the decision of a panel.

The contest is filed under best-of on this site. Because the newspaper runs the ballot from its own domain, the ballot page, the category names and the announcements all come from one publisher, so a reader checking the rules has a single source. The table below gives the basic facts a reader or a business owner needs before voting.

When does the Andalusia Star-News reader vote take place each year?

Confirmed editions

Ballot pages for the 2024, 2025 and 2026 Readers' Choice Awards are confirmed, and the 2026 page is the current one. The round repeats every year, and a 2027 round is anticipated, though that year rests on the yearly pattern rather than on a date the newspaper has printed.

When the window falls

The 2026 round is printed as open through August 31, and winners are announced through the Star-News special Readers' Choice Awards publication in September. A separate opening line on the same page reads Friday, September 4, which does not match the through-August wording. The page gives no closing hour, so the exact dates should be confirmed on the live ballot each cycle.

How does a reader cast a vote on the Andalusia ballot today?

What the ballot lists

Voting happens on the Andalusia Star-News website, where the ballot lists best-of categories such as Best BBQ, Best Breakfast, Best Burger, Best Coffee and Best Food Truck. Those phrases come from the category names printed on the page. They are candidate names, not a full ballot list, so readers should check the live page before they start.

A reader picks a category, selects the local business they want to recognize and submits the choice. The public vote is the only mechanic the page describes. No judging step is printed on the page, and no panel is named as part of the process.

Printed category phrases

A business owner who wants practical ideas for reaching customers beyond the ballot can read our general overview at the outreach page for local shops.

How does this Andalusia ballot sit beside the other Alabama best-of contests?

The Andalusia round is one of several best-of contests in Alabama on this site. About Town's Best of Birmingham, AIA Birmingham People's Choice and the Alabama Music Awards cover different categories, while Best of Marshall County 2026 and Best Of Birmingham Home & Garden 2026 each run on their own ballots. The Andalusia round stands apart because its printed categories center on food and dining, set by a newspaper for its own coverage area.

A reader comparing regional ballots can open the Birmingham best-of guide and the Marshall County ballot, then return to the state overview at Alabama contests. The table lists each sibling ballot with its vertical and its page.

How can a local business strengthen support on the Andalusia ballot?

A business that wants more readers to vote for it on the Andalusia ballot is working inside a public vote, so the most useful steps keep the link visible to the customers who already know it. Post the ballot link on the business's own page, mention the category that fits its service during normal conversations, and remind regular customers when the round opens. These steps stay within the rules the organizer prints and do not depend on any tool.

No one can guarantee a result in a reader vote, and this page makes no promise about what extra effort achieves. The most reliable approach is honest outreach to people who have a real connection with the business. For a fuller walkthrough, read the steps laid out in the outreach guide for supporters, and for background on paid services in general, see buy votes online.