All the ballots have been tallied. TIMES’ readers have spoken. They have cast their votes for which businesses are the very best in town.

And we heard their message loud and clear. Based on thousands of votes, The TIMES is giving special acknowledgement today, in the form of Readers’ Choice awards, to a series of different local companies that have excelled in sales, service, and products, announced TIMES’ publisher Spencer Levan.

“As publisher of the Maple Ridge & Pitt Meadows TIMES newspaper, it is indeed my pleasure to congratulate each of the winners of our 13th annual Readers’ Choice awards,” Levan said.

“Winning one of these awards means the business or person has been chosen by our readers as the very best in their category in all of Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows! These are very prestigious honours… our readers have the total say in who they think are the best.”

The contest has grown in popularity each year since its inception.

“This year we received thousands of completed ballots; the most of any year,” Levan said, explaining how voting was expanded this year to include online ballots on The TIMES website.

“Many readers took advantage of being able to vote from the comfort of their home or office while reading our paper online,” he added.

This time out, readers picked from the best local businesses in 101 different categories, and the list of winners is impressive, Levan added, noting they’re all listed inside today’s special Readers’ Choice edition.

“It also remains our policy to award only one winner per category based solely upon our readers’ votes. Our belief is there can’t be two or three ‘best’ in the same competition,” he said.

So to the winners, “Your plaque is unique to your category. No other business can display what you have won and claim to be a winner, as well… Please consider it a badge of honour for the work you do,” Levan said.

The publisher will be handing out the awards in person at a private reception tonight (Tuesday). That means customers can easily distinguish the award-winning businesses by watching for these coveted Readers’ Choice certificates that will soon be displayed proudly in local shops and stores.