{"id":4180,"date":"2017-08-04T16:06:48","date_gmt":"2017-08-04T21:06:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/boutiquehub.wpengine.com\/?p=4180"},"modified":"2017-08-10T10:48:01","modified_gmt":"2017-08-10T15:48:01","slug":"the-boutique-awards-its-the-finals-countdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theboutiquehub.com\/blog\/the-boutique-awards-its-the-finals-countdown\/","title":{"rendered":"The Boutique Awards: It’s the FINALS Countdown"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s official–the first-round of The Boutique Awards (The Awards) is wrapped up, and we\u2019re on our way to the Finals! We are absolutely blown away by how many of you participated in the awards, and shared them with your friends, family, and customers! When it was all said and done, the first-round of The Awards received 157,000 votes! Can you believe that?!<\/span><\/p>\n

Since voting closed, our entire Boutique Hub team has fully submerged themselves in The Awards, preparing for the Finals. Before The Awards were ever launched, the most important aspect for our entire team was being able to ensure that these awards remained a prestigious recognition, with unmatched integrity. Those are the values The Boutique Hub is founded on, and we have no desire to produce anything, especially an award, that doesn\u2019t fall within those values. For those reasons, we have worked extremely long and hard to ensure that all of the boutiques who have made it to the Finals are legitimate businesses and that their business appropriately fits the category\u2019s official definition. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Top 5 vote-getting boutiques in each category have been invited back to the Finals. In some categories, less than five have been invited back, as there weren\u2019t five boutiques who were voted for in that specific category, or there was not enough information available to verify a boutique\u2019s legitimacy. In some categories, multiple boutiques tied, so in those instances, more than five boutiques have been invited back to compete in the Finals.<\/span><\/p>\n

You will notice that in all regions, we have dissolved the category of Accessories\/Decor. As we worked through our regions, we began to notice that the boutiques in that specific category had been nominated in other categories as well, or that they did not fit the Category Definition of a true Accessories\/Decor boutique. In the event that a unique (not nominated elsewhere) boutique was nominated in Accessories\/Decor, it has been moved to whichever location category definition it fits into (Storefront, Online, or Mobile). <\/span>Unfortunately, there was not a single instance in any region where there were two unique boutiques were nominated in the category of Accessories\/Decor.<\/b><\/p>\n

You will also notice that in the event that there was a single contender in any regional category (meaning there was nobody to compete against), that regional category has been dissolved, and we have moved that boutique into whichever location category definition it fits into (Storefront, Online, or Mobile), or the into the category of Overall Regional Boutique of the Year. We felt as though it was unfair as a whole for a single boutique to be able to win the Finals without garnering any votes, as most of our other regional categories will be a highly competitive race.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the Finals, email addresses may only be used to vote one time, total; NOT one time, per state (as it was during the nomination round). We feel this rule modification adds to the authenticity of votes, solidifying that there is no possible way to stack votes for one particular boutique.<\/span><\/p>\n

As always, the only way that a boutique can be listed more than once is if they are a contender for Global Boutique of the Year, and\/or Overall Regional Boutique of the Year, along with whatever regional category they\u2019re competing in.<\/span><\/p>\n

Full rules and details for the Finals can be found below and on The Boutique Awards\u2019 website.<\/span><\/p>\n

Finals Voting:<\/b><\/p>\n