The Seattle Medium has announced the official nominees for its inaugural Best of the Best Northwest Readers’ Choice Awards, with community voting opening June 1 and continuing through June 19, 2026.
The awards program recognizes outstanding businesses, nonprofits, community leaders, educators, athletes, advocates and cultural institutions throughout the Pacific Northwest. Nominees were selected through a public nomination process that generated submissions from readers across the region.
“The response from the community has been tremendous,” said Chris B. Bennett, publisher and CEO of The Seattle Medium. “These awards were created to celebrate the individuals, businesses and organizations that are making a positive impact in our communities every day. We encourage everyone to participate in the voting process and help recognize those who are helping move our communities forward.”
The Best of the Best Northwest Readers’ Choice Awards feature nominees in eight major categories: Community Leadership, Youth & Education, Coaches & Athletics, Business & Enterprise, Non-Profits & Community Impact, Food & Dining, Personal Care & Wellness and Black Beverage Makers.
Nominees include elected officials, community advocates, nonprofit organizations, educators, coaches, entrepreneurs, restaurants, cultural institutions and youth-serving organizations from throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Among this year’s nominees are respected community organizations such as the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle, Freedom Project, Atlantic Street Center, Tubman Center for Health & Freedom, Central Area Youth Association, Byrd Barr Place and Africatown. Individual nominees include Seattle City Councilmember Joy Hollingsworth, King County Executive Girmay Zahilay, State Sen. T’wina Nobles, State Rep. Jamila Taylor, Attorney General Nick Brown and numerous community advocates, educators, entrepreneurs and nonprofit leaders.
The awards were created to celebrate excellence while increasing visibility for the businesses, organizations and individuals who continue to strengthen communities throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Voting will take place online from June 1 through June 19, 2026, at BestoftheBestNorthwest.com. Winners will be determined by reader votes and recognized in a special Best of the Best Northwest publication and across The Seattle Medium’s digital platforms.
The complete list of official nominees appears is on Page 10A.
