What are the Besties?
The Mommy Poppins Bestie Awards is an awards program presented by the leading online resource for local parents. Mommy Poppins loves local and we’ve created our Besties to highlight top family friendly Connecticut businesses.  Thousands of local parents will vote on a slate of 10 Finalists in 23 categories and the winning business in each category will be featured in a special "Best of Connecticut" Guide published on MommyPoppins.com after the promotion ends.

How are finalists selected?
In December 2016 Mommy Poppins invited readers to nominate their favorite Connecticut businesses in 24 categories. Our local editorial team considered all nominees, plus our own nominees based on in-depth knowledge of the local parenting space — nobody knows family friendly Connecticut better than our team — to select our slate of finalists.  

How are the winners chosen?
The winner in each category will be the business that receives the most votes. We use a secure platform to collect votes. One vote per category per email address is allowed.

Is it rigged?
No. We love all our nominees equally. There’s no fee for participating. We don’t give special placements for advertisers or business partners. We consider all nominations from our readers, vetting and researching each one, to develop the slate of finalists we truly believe to be Connecticut's best.  All Connecticut businesses in the category have an equal chance of being nominated. Our voting platform is secure and, by allowing only one voter slate per email, hinders vote stuffing.

When does the contest start and end?
The contest starts January 13, 2017 and runs through March 5, 2017.  

How can I participate?  
Click over to the Mommy Poppins Connecticut Besties and cast your ballot. You may even win a prize — each vote is an entry to win tickets to the Great Wolf Lodge Poconos Mountian or a family four pack of tickets to Quassy Amusement Park and Waterpark.  

If you are a business that has been chosen as a finalist, you can share your status with your community via email, social media and in your place of business (visit our Besties Business Headquarters to get shareable badges and printables. Encourage them to vote to help you win — hey, they might win something too.

When will the winners be announced?
Winners will be announced within four weeks of the end of the contest. We will post the winners on our facebook page as well as on MommyPoppins.com and in our newsletters. Be sure to follow Mommy Poppins on Facebook or sign up for our newsletters so you don't miss it!

What do the winners get?
Mommy Poppins reaches millions of people online, through our email newsletter and in social media. We will be promoting our Bestie Awards through all our channels, sharing the love for our finalists and our winners. When the contest is over, the winners will be listed in our Best of Connecticut Guide promoted on the MommyPoppins.com Connecticut home page. Look at our Best of Boston guide. 

What is MommyPoppins.com?
MommyPoppins.com is the leading website for family events and kids activities in Connecticut and eight other regions around the country. Founded in 2007 the site is used by millions of active and engaged parents to find fun family-friendly things to do and helpful resources near them. MommyPoppins.com is updated daily with need-to-know information for parents and offers a daily event calendar and local business directory.  Mommy Poppins is free to join and read, we are supported by advertising, and have helped thousands of businesses connect with targeted local audiences.