Our Annual List of Businesses, Organizations, Destinations, and People Selected as the Best in the Region, According to Your Votes
About the CoVa Best Of Contest
The results of the 2026 contest were gleaned through an open online voting platform available through the Coastal Virginia Magazine website (coastalvirginiamag.com) and publicized via the magazine’s various print, digital and social media channels. New for 2026, the contest featured two rounds of voting: a first round to determine the finalists and a final round to crown the winners. A record number of nearly 250,000 votes were cast throughout the contest to determine the winners featured on the pages ahead. All voters were email verified and limited to one vote per category.
About the Results
In most categories, large national chains with multiple locations are eligible only in the category of Overall Gold.
For locally based businesses with multiple locations, votes are pro-rated for Peninsula and Southside based on number of locations in each area. If a business is a winner in the Overall Gold category, they are not eligible to win in the same category for Peninsula or Southside. Businesses can be recognized as winners in no more than three categories.
Category representation levels
(Gold/Silver/Bronze and/or Southside/Peninsula) are determined by overall number of votes in each.
KEY
Overall Gold Indicates the business with the most overall votes received in each category regardless of location.
Southside (SS) – Gold, Silver and Bronze
Indicates the three highest rankings based on the number of votes received in each category for businesses on the Southside.
Peninsula (PEN) – Gold, Silver and Bronze
Indicates the three highest rankings based on the number of votes received in each category for businesses on the Peninsula.
