This year’s 45th annual Best of the Bay poll is a celebration of the Bay Area’s spirit of resilience and perseverance. And for the first year ever, we’re allowing readers to vote for businesses and places that have closed, due to the extraordinary circumstances we’ve all been weathering.
But Best of the Bay 2020 is not just a competition: We want to honor individuals, organizations, and businesses that rose up to meet this year’s challenges in terrific ways. Beyond our Best of the Bay poll (voting ends October 10), we’re asking readers to share stories of community resilience.
Who helped their community during the pandemic, fires, and other emergencies the year brought? Who stepped up to really amplify and represent Black voices in the face of police violence and societal oppression? What businesses came up with unique ways to survive the economic shutdown? Who ran food banks, offered shelter, organized online fundraisers, made space?
We’ll be collecting these stories to publish when we release the results of the Best of the Bay poll in mid-October. Then, come celebrate with us online October 22 at our Variety Gala. We love the Bay Area, and want to showcase everyone who went above and beyond in a very tumultuous year!
