Due to the large volume of nominations, we had to unexpectedly change a few things to make voting an easy, and undaunting task for all of you. There was no possible way to have every single unique nomination included (close to 1500) and we hate that. We’re already working on ways to change that for next year, but for now, this is where we’re at:

• In order to make it from the nomination round, to the voting round, an individual or business had to be nominated more than once in the same category. Example: Jane Doe owns a boutique. She received one nomination in the Retailer category, and one nomination in the Influencer and Athletes category. Because she was not nominated more than once in the same category, her boutique cannot move forward into the voting round. 

• One person or business can only be included once. Category placement was determined based on correct business type, and which category they were nominated most. Example: Jane Doe can either be in an Influencer category, Maker category, or Creative category–not all three. If Jane was nominated in three categories, she stayed in the category where she received the most nominations.

• If we missed a duplicate listing, and they make it into the top 20 of two categories, they will stay in the category where they have the most votes, and taken out of the other category so someone else can take their spot. Example: Jane Doe accidentally made it into Influencers/Athletes, and her boutique made it into Retailers. She was voted as a winner in both categories. She will be considered a winner in the category where she received the most votes, and be bumped out of the other category. 

• This year, you might notice that hat-based businesses can be found in two different categories—Makers or Brands. If a business builds, makes, OR shapes hats prior to them being sold, we consider them to be a MAKER. If a business wholesales their hat products to other retailers, or has collaborative lines with others, then they are considered a BRAND.