Best of Santa Barbara® is the Santa Barbara Independent's annual readers' poll where our readers tell us who is the best across many categories. The ballot includes 216 categories which are grouped into 11 broader sections. The contest runs over the course of three months and results in the ultimate list of our readers' choice that will publish Thursday, October 16 in-print and online at www.independent.com

Nomination Round: From June 5 – July 2, you will determine who deserves to be a nominee for each category by nominating your favorites below. Please nominate in at least 20 different categories! Once the nomination round is over, we will create the voting ballot directly based on your responses. The number of final nominees in each category will vary based on the number of votes received in that category. Please note, there is no final submit button. Your nominations are recorded as you hit nominate.

Voting Round: Voting will be open from July 31 – August 27. Vote for your favorite nominees. Each voter is required to vote in at least 20 categories for their votes to be counted. Voters can only vote once in each category.

Results: Once the voting period is over we will tally up the winners and publish them in our annual Best Of Santa Barbara® issue hitting stands October 16, 2025. Be Sure to save the date for our Best Fest pary to celebrate the results on October 16, 2025 at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum.