The Local & Loved Awards are returning to Eastbourne for 2027, giving registered users of thebestof the opportunity to have their say on the local businesses they value and would happily recommend to others.
The purpose of thebestof Eastbourne has always been to bring trusted local businesses and the community together. We look to our registered users to tell us about businesses providing great service, good value and positive experiences, helping us decide who we should be recommending and promoting.
So for 2027, we're putting those recommendations firmly at the heart of our business recognition.
There are no judging panels. Every business featured in our Business A–Z is automatically entered, and recommendations submitted directly through thebestof throughout 2027 will determine our Most Loved Business of the Year 2027.
We want to hear from people who use and value local businesses. By registering with thebestof and sharing genuine recommendations based on your own experiences, you're helping us understand which businesses deserve to be recognised and promoted.
A recommendation might follow a purchase or completed job, but it could also recognise excellent advice, a helpful quotation, outstanding customer service or another genuinely positive experience that makes you happy to recommend that business to somebody else.
By taking the time to share those experiences, you're helping shape the recognition we give to businesses through thebestof Eastbourne.
Ready to have your say? Recommend a Business.
If your business appears in our Business A–Z, you're automatically entered.
There is no application form and no separate competition to opt into.
To give your business the best opportunity to be recognised, encourage your customers to leave genuine recommendations for you directly through thebestof.
Most Loved Business of the Year isn't the only recognition available.
Every business featured in our Business A–Z that receives 12 or more recommendations directly through thebestof during 2027 will receive a certificate officially recognising it as one of the best businesses locally.
Reviews collected through other compatible platforms can still form an important part of a business's overall reputation on thebestof. We're not taking anything away from those reviews or the reputation they demonstrate.
However, our 2027 recognition certificates and Most Loved Business of the Year 2027 will be determined by recommendations submitted directly through thebestof by registered users.
That gives the people who have taken the time to participate in thebestof community a meaningful say in the businesses we recognise and promote.
Every qualifying recommendation received throughout 2027 will count.
At the end of the year, we'll review the recommendations before officially announcing Eastbourne's Most Loved Business of the Year 2027 in early 2028.
The winning business will also be eligible for a personalised award recognising its achievement, subject to reaching the qualifying level of recommendations required for the award.
We won't be publishing a live leaderboard.
Instead, we'll periodically share updates through the thebestof Eastbourne newsletter, giving registered users the opportunity to follow the campaign and see which businesses are attracting support.
The overall winner will remain under wraps until we've completed our final checks and officially announce the result in early 2028.
If you'd like to follow the campaign, register with thebestof and opt in to receive our newsletters.
You don't have to choose just one.
You can recommend as many businesses as you genuinely feel deserve recognition based on your own experiences.
They don't have to already appear in our Business A–Z either.
If your recommendation brings a business to our attention that isn't currently featured, we'll let them know they've been nominated and invite them to find out more about becoming part of thebestof Eastbourne.
Recommend a Business and help us recognise the businesses you think deserve to be among Eastbourne's best.
So, who do you think deserves to become Eastbourne's Most Loved Business of the Year 2027?
Yes. You can recommend as many businesses as you genuinely feel deserve your support. Each recommendation should reflect your own genuine experience with that business.
You can recommend a business here.
You can still recommend them.
If your recommendation brings a business to our attention that isn't currently featured in our Business A–Z, we'll let them know they've been nominated and invite them to find out more about becoming part of thebestof Eastbourne.
A business must be featured in our Business A–Z to compete for Most Loved Business of the Year 2027.
No. You're already entered.
Every business featured in our Business A–Z is automatically included. There is no application or entry form.
Encourage your customers to recommend you directly through thebestof. Once you receive 12 recommendations during 2027, you'll qualify for our annual recognition certificate, while every qualifying recommendation also counts towards Most Loved Business of the Year 2027.
They remain an important part of your overall reputation and compatible reviews may be displayed through thebestof.
However, for the 2027 recognition certificate and Most Loved Business of the Year 2027, only recommendations submitted directly through thebestof by registered users will count.
We won't publish a live leaderboard, but we'll periodically share campaign updates through the thebestof Eastbourne newsletter.
Register with thebestof and opt in to receive our newsletters if you'd like to follow the campaign.
The final result will remain secret until we've completed our checks and officially announce the winner in early 2028.
For a recommendation to count as a qualifying recommendation, it needs to be submitted directly through thebestof Eastbourne and verified through our email validation process.
If your recommendation isn't showing yet, visit Check Your Review Status, enter your email address and complete any outstanding validation.
You only need to complete the account validation process once. Once validated, your recommendation can be published and counted towards the 2027 recognition campaign, and you can continue leaving genuine recommendations for other businesses through thebestof.
Yes. A business must be actively featured in the thebestof Eastbourne Business A–Z to compete for Most Loved Business of the Year 2027 and must remain featured throughout the campaign.
Businesses that aren't currently featured can still be recommended through thebestof. We'll contact them to let them know they've been nominated and invite them to find out more about becoming part of thebestof Eastbourne.
If a business leaves the Business A–Z during the campaign, it will be withdrawn from the competition and its recommendations will no longer be considered for the award.
