Welcome to the 18th annual celebration of who, what and where is the Best of Halifax. Winners are decided by Coast readers, the world’s very best readers.

The rules are simple: Name your favourite in at least 10 of the following categories, and you're entered in a random draw for a $1,000 shopping spree at the Halifax Shopping Centre. Voters also get free admission to the Best of Halifax awards party on November 1.

To enter the Best of Halifax Readers’ Choice Awards, you must be a registered member of The Coast's website (you can sign up now if you haven't before). We promise not to share your information with anyone outside of The Coast. We will add your email address to our newsletter mailing list, but you can unsubscribe easily.

Only one vote per person is allowed. (We have ways to thwart cheaters, and improper votes will be disqualified.) If you add insightful reasons or clever comments to explain your answers, we may (anonymously) quote you. And if you have any trouble voting, please let us know at bohtech@thecoast.ca.

Keep your choices local, which is to say shops, organizations, people, etc. located here in Halifax. If it's a chain business you're voting for, with more than one outlet in the city, be sure to specify the location so we know who exactly you're talking about. For example, Foreign Affair has locations on both Spring Garden Road and Barrington Street, Cucina Moderna has outlets in downtown, Dartmouth and Bedford, and there are Gap stores in Halifax Shopping Centre, Bayers Lake and Mic Mac Mall.

Voting is open from Thursday, August 16 through Thursday, September 20. Results will be announced in The Coast Thursday, November 1, and the big awards party will be that night.

If you're wondering where all the food and music questions are, you'll be interested in our separate Best of Food and Best of Music awards, which were both voted on earlier in the year. And if you’d like find out more about how the Best of Halifax works, check out the BOH FAQ here.

Enjoy your poll and thanks for taking part.