Contest Rules

To be eligible for the HOT LIST, businesses must:

Have a physical storefront*
Legitimately provide services or specialization within an existing category
Be located in the Philadelphia, PA Area

For the purposes of this contest, the area "Philadelphia, PA" is defined as:

phl17 retains the editorial right to remove any nominee that has entered a contest incorrectly or has used marketing materials or language that is not in line with the spirit of the contest (see Terms and Conditions). Businesses are nominated and winners are chosen by voters on the website, and are not a reflection of phl17 or CityVoter expressed endorsement.

Voters may vote once in each category. Votes are only accepted between 7/16/2012 12:00:00 AM Eastern Standard Time through 9/7/2012 11:59:59 PM Eastern Standard Time and must be cast on the official contest website: phillyhotlist.cityvoter.com.

The goal of the phl17 HOT LIST is to host a fair and accurate contest to determine the best local businesses by popular vote. Nominees are encouraged to invite their customers to vote and may use any official tools and promotional materials provided on phillyhotlist.cityvoter.com to promote their involvement in the HOT LIST.

Our technology closely monitors voting behavior to ensure the results are fair and accurate. Please be advised that the following behaviors are not sanctioned and may result in removal from the HOT LIST:

Attempting to use technology to manipulate voting results in any way
Creating accounts on the behalf of consumers
Encouraging customers to vote from in-store computers
Using third party online voting sites to solicit votes

During the HOT LIST contest, a business' standing will be displayed on the business profile when they are within the Top 20 in each category at a given time. These standings are updated in real time and are not intended, nor are they permitted, to be reproduced, printed, or displayed anywhere outside of the official contest site. Any business that uses this data without the expressed written consent of phl17 and CityVoter will be removed from the contest. This information is the property of phl17 and CityVoter. It is illegal for any party, press or otherwise, to use this data without the expressed written consent of phl17 and CityVoter.

Nominees which are part of a national chain or a franchise will be provided with only one listing per guide on the HOT LIST.

*Some nominees (including those in the Auto, Pets, and Weddings sections) are not required to have a physical storefront. Online businesses are not eligible to compete in the phl17 HOT LIST