Last updated October 29, 2026
What is the impact of awards on local businesses? It starts with votes. In the 2026 Voted Number One awards, Arizona customers picked 101 winners across 14 categories. Here’s how many votes it took to win in each category, and why that kind of public recognition matters to local shoppers.
Key Takeaways
- The average 2026 Voted Number One winner received 6.1 community votes, but the typical (median) winner won with just 2.
- Community (23.0 average votes) and Weddings & Events (19.5) had the highest average scores; Financial Services (1.4) and Automotive (1.6) had the lowest.
- Food & Drink was the biggest category, with 27 of 101 winners and an average of 7.4 votes.
- Nearly half of winners (48 of 101) won with a single vote, so a few extra customer votes can decide a category.
- Public proof matters: 85% of consumers say positive reviews make them more likely to use a business (BrightLocal, 2026).
What This Report Covers
This report shows the average award score by category and what it means for local businesses. Here’s what you’ll find:
- Average votes by category for every 2026 winner, plus the highest single score in each category.
- Award tiers and subcategories, showing how Diamond, Platinum and Gold scores compare and which subcategories drew the most votes.
- The impact of awards on local businesses, using 2026 consumer research on trust and reviews.
- Answers to common questions about award scores.
Average Award Score by Category
An award score is the number of community votes the winning business received. In the table below, we show how many winners each category had, their average and typical (median) votes, and the highest single score.
Average Award Score by Category, 2026 Voted Number One Awards
| Category | Winners | Average votes | Median votes | Highest score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Community | 4 | 23.0 | 3 | 85 |
| Weddings & Events | 4 | 19.5 | 3.5 | 70 |
| Education & Lessons | 2 | 13.0 | 13 | 25 |
| Food & Drink | 27 | 7.4 | 2 | 51 |
| Pets | 4 | 5.8 | 1.5 | 19 |
| Professional Services | 16 | 4.8 | 2 | 36 |
| Travel & Hospitality | 2 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 8 |
| Arts & Culture | 13 | 3.4 | 2 | 12 |
| Home Services | 6 | 3.3 | 1 | 12 |
| Kids & Family | 1 | 3.0 | 3 | 3 |
| Technology & Media | 5 | 2.6 | 1 | 7 |
| Beauty & Wellness | 5 | 2.4 | 1 | 6 |
| Automotive | 7 | 1.6 | 1 | 5 |
| Financial Services | 5 | 1.4 | 1 | 3 |
| All categories | 101 | 6.1 | 2 | 85 |
Average Votes per Winner by Category, 2026
What the Numbers Show
- A few standout winners lift the averages. A Flagstaff nonprofit earned 85 votes and a Winslow DJ earned 70, which is why Community and Weddings & Events lead even though their median is only 3 to 3.5 votes.
- Food & Drink is both large and competitive: 27 winners averaged 7.4 votes, with a top score of 51 for a Cottonwood/Clarkdale Mexican restaurant.
- Service categories such as Financial Services (1.4), Automotive (1.6) and Beauty & Wellness (2.4) were often won with 1 to 3 votes, so a small push from loyal customers can make the difference.
Award Scores by Tier
Each category has up to three winners: Diamond for first place, Platinum for second and Gold for third. Most 2026 categories had a single winner, so Diamond covers 88 of the 101 awards.
Average Award Score by Tier, 2026
| Award tier | Winners | Average votes | Highest score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diamond (1st place) | 88 | 6.4 | 85 |
| Platinum (2nd place) | 12 | 4.4 | 18 |
| Gold (3rd place) | 1 | 1.0 | 1 |
What the Numbers Show
- Diamond winners averaged 6.4 votes, about 2 more than Platinum winners (4.4).
- Only one Gold award was given in 2026, so its 1.0 average is a single business and not a trend.
Award Scores by Subcategory
Within each category, businesses compete in subcategories such as Mexican Restaurant or Art Gallery. The table below shows every subcategory with at least three winners.
Average Award Score by Subcategory, 2026
| Subcategory | Category | Winners | Average votes | Highest score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Piercing/Tattoo Shop | Professional Services | 3 | 17.3 | 36 |
| Mexican Restaurant | Food & Drink | 6 | 12.7 | 51 |
| Local Artist | Arts & Culture | 3 | 3.0 | 5 |
| Art Gallery | Arts & Culture | 5 | 2.8 | 8 |
| American Restaurant | Food & Drink | 3 | 1.3 | 2 |
What the Numbers Show
- Mexican restaurants were the most contested subcategory, with 6 winners across 4 cities and an average of 12.7 votes.
- Tattoo and piercing shops averaged 17.3 votes across 3 winners, showing how strongly loyal customers turn out for personal-service businesses.
- Subcategories with only three winners are small samples, so treat their averages as a snapshot of 2026 rather than a rule.
The Impact of Awards on Local Businesses
A community award is a public, verified signal that real customers back a business, much like a strong review profile. Recent research shows how much that kind of social proof shapes local buying decisions:
- Trust drives choice. 97% of consumers read reviews for local businesses, and 85% say positive reviews make them more likely to use a business (BrightLocal, 2026).
- Volume signals credibility. 47% of consumers won’t use a business with fewer than 20 reviews, and only 9% would use one with five or fewer.
- Recognition sends people to you. After reading positive reviews, 54% of consumers visit the business’s website and 31% visit the location.
- Recency matters. 74% of consumers only care about reviews from the last three months, so a current-year award helps show a business is active today.
- Asking works. 83% of consumers who were asked to leave a review went on to leave one.
What the Numbers Show
- With a median of just 2 votes per winner, most 2026 categories were decided by a handful of customers. The businesses with the highest scores were the ones whose customers showed up.
- Consumer research does not measure award votes directly, but it shows shoppers look for proof from other customers. An award built on community votes offers that proof in one easy-to-read badge.
- Learn how this fits with other honors in our guide to types of recognition awards for small businesses.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average award score for a Voted Number One winner?
The average winner received 6.1 community votes in the 2026 Voted Number One awards, but the typical (median) winner received 2. A handful of very popular businesses pull the average up.
Which award category gets the most votes?
Community winners averaged 23.0 votes (4 winners) and Weddings & Events winners averaged 19.5 (4 winners). Food & Drink, the largest category with 27 winners, averaged 7.4 votes.
What is the impact of awards on local businesses?
Awards act as public proof that real customers back a business. In BrightLocal’s 2026 survey, 85% of consumers said positive reviews make them more likely to use a business, and 47% won’t use a business with fewer than 20 reviews. Community votes give shoppers a similar signal of trust.
How can a local business get more award votes?
Ask. In the same 2026 survey, 83% of consumers who were asked to leave a review went on to leave one. The same habit of asking customers works for award voting.
Local owners can earn recognition through our small business awards. For state-level trends, see our Small Business Statistics by State: 2026 Report.
Sources
- Voted Number One 2026 community awards results (101 winning entries across 9 Arizona communities). Voted Number One. October 2026. Arizona.
- Local Consumer Review Survey 2026. BrightLocal. February 11, 2026. Survey of 1,002 U.S. adult consumers.
Written by Savannah Davis, Voted Number One team. Savannah works with the local business owners who take part in the Voted Number One community awards.