by Kristen Bagwell

It's the last week to nominate your favorite people and businesses for the Choice 2012 Awards!  All TMoM newsletter subscribers will receive a link in today's newsletter where you will be asked to nominate businesses.  Nominations have been extended through April 30, 2012 due to the fantastic reader response.

Nominations will be tallied and the top five finalists in each category will be posted on the website on May 2. The general public can then vote by way of a survey found on our website.  Voting will take place throughout the month of May.

Votes will be tallied and the winning businesses will then be announced on June 2.  Each winning business will receive a "winner seal" as well as a choice of a free banner run or a dedicated blog on Triangle Moms on Main.

The goal of our Choice Awards is to provide our readers with a list of the best businesses and venues on which families can rely in our area. We look forward to showcasing these businesses on the site.  If you are a business owner, or are a fan of a local business, be sure to help spread the word to others to nominate your business over this next week and a half!  Only the top five nominations will make it to the final voting round.  Feel free to use Facebook and email to promote yourself or your favorite local businesses.


(Right click and grab the button from here, or email Kristen@trianglemomsonmain.com for a jpeg file.)  You can link your button to this page - http://trianglemomsonmain.com/MomsChoiceAwards.html - which will always have the latest Mom's Choice updates!



The categories featured on the “Choice Awards” contest are:
Best Birthday Party Venue/Service
Favorite Local Children's Clothing Store/Boutique
Favorite Local Women's Clothing Store/Boutique
Favorite Baby / Nursery Store
Best Seasonal Consignment Sale
Favorite Salon or Spa
Best Restaurant for a Ladies Lunch
Best Restaurant for a Date Night
Favorite Local Gift Shop
Best Local Blog or Website (besides TMoM!)
Favorite Local Mompreneur (A mom who has started her own business)
Favorite Local Photographer
Best Interior Designer
Best Real Estate Agency
Best Local Realtor/Agent
Best OB/Gyn Doctor
Best Family Dentist/Orthodontist
Best Pediatrician
Favorite Local Magazine/Print Publication
Best Private School
Best Preschool or Daycare Facility
Best Summer Camp
Best Arts Facility (theatre, music, studio, dance, art classes, etc.)
Best Kids Sports Program
Best Rainy Day Destination for Kids


So now what?  Spread the word!  Tell others to nominate and then watch for your top five picks to be posted for final voting.
Choice Awards 2012 Timeline:
April 11- Nominations begin.  Newsletter subscribers will be sent a link to nominate businesses in each category above.
April 18  - A Second newsletter will be sent out with a link to survey monkey for anyone who did not receive it the first week.
April 30 - Nominations end
May 2 - Nominations are tallied and the top 5 businesses in each category will be published on the website as finalists. Finalist voting is now open to the public and everyone may vote on their favorite choice from each category.
May 1 - 27 Finalist voting takes place
May 27 - Finalist voting ends
June 2 - Winners are published on the website and in the newsletter. Winning businesses will receive a choice of either a free daily blog banner for one month or a free weekday blog.

If you know a business that you think deserves to win, give them a shout out in the comment section below! Remember, we can only accept nominations via survey. No email nominations will be accepted.

Questions?  Email Kristen@trianglemomsonmain.com.