Who are your 2026 Alameda Stars? The 2026 Alameda Stars contest is your chance to make your voice heard and shine a spotlight on the best of the best in Alameda. Beginning today, January 5, this contest is set to be the ultimate annual celebration of excellence, community spirit, and friendly competition.
Are you itching to showcase your business’s unrivaled quality? Or do you have a fave of your own and want to give a shoutout to a local gem? You can do just that at AlamedaStars.com.
- Celebrate excellence: This contest celebrates the finest in our community—the best restaurants, shops, services, and more, as chosen by YOU, our community.
- Provide/win the ultimate community review: A 2026 Alameda Stars designation is the ultimate community review and endorsement for your business. When you win, you earn the coveted title of “The Best,” as decided by the Alameda community.
- Get bragging rights: Display the 2026 Alameda Stars badge on your storefront, website, and social media accounts. It’s the best possible endorsement—there’s no other one like it.
How can you participate?
It’s easy and fun! And there’s no charge to participate! The 2026 Alameda Stars Community Awards has more than 175 categories in nine divisions, including Arts and Culture, Business Services, Community, Food and Drink, Household Services, Kids and Family, Personal Services, Retail, and Sports and Recreation.
Businesses: The Alameda Post sent a postcard to more than 1,700 local businesses to let them know they are contenders. We provided details on how to claim listings and nominate for additional categories beginning today. All Alameda businesses are eligible to be nominated in up to five categories and multiple nominations are allowed across the categories. Plus, we provide tools for businesses to keep track of the voting and to empower their super fans to vote for their favorites.
Community: Starting today, everyone can view contenders in all the categories and nominate any businesses that are not already on the list. Nominations are free and easy to complete. Just go to AlamedaStars.com, enter the business name, select the category. Add a comment or two about the nominee. Administrators will review and confirm each nomination. Once voting starts on January 13, everyone will be able vote for their favorite businesses in every category once per day until voting ends on February 17. You can let your family, friends, and neighbors know your favorites and who your 2026 Alameda Stars are while supporting our local business community!
What’s the contest timeline?
- Nominations open today, January 5, 2026.
- Voting begins January 13, 2026.
- Voting ends February 17, 2026.
- Winners will be announced February 24, 2026.
“The past few years have been tough for businesses. That’s what makes this contest so important to Alameda. The competition celebrates our community and helps our businesses see just how important they are to us. It is the ideal way to show some love for your favorite places and support our businesses in a way that costs you nothing and means everything to them,” explained Alameda Post’s Publisher, Adam Gillitt. “Your participation helps all of us recognize Alameda’s Stars.”
The Post is delighted to kickstart this competition and see who will emerge as the 2026 Alameda Stars. Let’s all celebrate excellence, Alameda!
This contest is brought to you by the Alameda Post with thanks to our sponsors, the City of Alameda, Alameda Municipal Power, Downtown Alameda, and West Alameda Business Association. If you have any questions or need further information, feel free to send an email to [email protected].
