PUBLIC CORRECTION:

Thank you for pointing that out! I wanted to quickly update the post and clarify that the correct name of the publication is Tyler Paper/Tyler Morning Telegraph, NOT Tyler Today Magazine. I appreciate your understanding and apologize for the confusion. Stay tuned for more great updates about the best in town!

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The Truth Behind Tyler Paper/Tyler Morning Telegraph “Best in Town” – Is It Really About the Best, or Just About the Money?

Every year, Tyler, Texas celebrates the best of its businesses, services, and local talents through the Tyler Paper/Tyler Morning Telegraph's “Best in Town” awards—a competition that honors those who have earned the respect and votes of their community. It’s an exciting time for local entrepreneurs and business owners, as the title of “Best in Town” carries a certain level of prestige and recognition.

In fact, I was lucky enough to take home the “Best in Town” title in 2021 and 2022, and even secured a spot in the Top 3 in 2023. It was a tremendous honor to be nominated and voted for by the people of Tyler—people who trusted my work and supported my business. But, after stepping back from the process in 2024 and taking a closer look at how the whole thing operates, I began to question something important: Is “Best in Town” really about celebrating excellence, or has it become just another revenue-generating tool for Tyler Paper/Tyler Morning Telegraph?

The “Best in Town” Process: A Closer Look

The nomination process for “Best in Town” is, no doubt, a unique experience. In the first round, anyone can nominate any business or service they want. And let’s face it—this part of the process is exciting! It gives people a chance to highlight their favorite local spots, from the best taco truck to the most talented hair stylist. After the nominating period ends, the top nominees move on to the second round, where voting begins. This is where the real competition kicks in.

Those who receive the most votes from the community during the nominating period advance to the final voting stage, where the Top 3 businesses are chosen. It’s a fun and democratic process—well, on the surface.

But Here’s Where It Gets Complicated

Despite how exciting it is to be nominated and make it to the Top 3, there’s a catch that many don’t realize at first: It’s not really about your work or your clients’ votes anymore. In fact, as I’ve experienced firsthand, it’s about something else entirely. Something far less honorable: money.

Here’s the twist: If you win, you’re expected to buy your victory. Yep, you read that right. Winning the “Best in Town” title doesn’t automatically come with a full-page spread or recognition for your hard work. Instead, you’ll receive a phone call from a third-party company (not from Tyler Paper/Tyler Morning Telegraph itself) asking you to purchase a plaque! While the Tyler Paper/Tyler Morning Telegraph will sale you a banner, and an ad space to promote your win.

Let that sink in.

If you win based on community votes, you’re then expected to pay for the privilege of showcasing your achievement. It’s no longer about how well you’ve performed or how much your clients love your work. It’s about paying to advertise your success. This raises a serious question: Shouldn’t the honor of winning come with recognition, not a sales pitch?

The Real Question: Is “Best in Town” About the Best, or About the Cash?

It’s important to remember that the “Best in Town” award has real significance to the businesses and services who earn it. It’s a huge deal to be recognized by your community and have that acknowledgment put in print. But when the process becomes so tied to advertising dollars and third-party sales tactics, the integrity of the award starts to fade.

I get it—running a magazine and organizing a big community event is not free. Tyler Paper/Tyler Morning Telegraph has expenses, and I’m sure they’re looking for ways to keep the lights on. However, the way they’ve structured the “Best in Town” process—where the winners are pressured to spend money to celebrate their success—makes it feel less like an honest competition and more like an elaborate money-making scheme.

The Reality of the “Buy Your Win” Culture

It’s not just a small annoyance. This practice can actually discourage small business owners who don’t have the budget for advertising from participating in future years. Instead of focusing on their work and earning the title through votes, they are left to wonder if the only way to succeed in the competition is to purchase their way to victory.

What does this mean for businesses in the Tyler area? Well, it sends a message that success is for sale, and that the value of the award may be more about who can afford to promote their win than about who truly deserves the title.

My Experience: Winning Is Great, But the Process Needs Rethinking

Having been a winner twice and a finalist once, I can honestly say the feeling of receiving the “Best in Town” recognition is fantastic. The community’s support is everything to me, and I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity. But stepping back this year and watching the process unfold with fresh eyes, I started to feel that there’s something deeply wrong with a system that treats awards as if they’re for sale. It feels as though the “Best in Town” title has become less about celebrating the best businesses and more about generating profits for those organizing the event.

For businesses like mine, and many others, winning should be an honor—something that’s given based on merit and voted on by real people, not a prize tied to a commercial agenda. We should be able to celebrate our success without having to open our wallets to advertise it.

The Call for Change

Maybe it’s time to rethink the “Best in Town” process. I’m not suggesting we eliminate the concept entirely, but perhaps we can find a way to ensure that the recognition itself has more value than the ad space attached to it. Let’s make the process more transparent, more about the community, and less about who can afford to buy into the recognition.

Here’s an idea: What if businesses that win truly earned their recognition and received a full-page spread—on the house—because of their hard work and the support they received from their community? What if we stopped treating the win as an ad opportunity and started celebrating businesses for the quality of their work and the positive impact they have on our town?

As a small business owner, I want to see a world where success is defined by the work you do and the impact you have, not by your ability to pay to advertise it.

My Final Thought: Let’s Keep It About the People

At the end of the day, what matters most is the community that stands behind us—the people who vote, the clients who support us, and the friends who cheer us on. Let’s make sure that when we celebrate our “Best in Town” winners, it’s truly about them—not the third-party companies calling, emailing, and trying to sell us something we’ve already earned.

I hope that the Tyler Paper/Tyler Morning Telegraph rethinks its approach to these awards in the future. The community deserves better than this. And the businesses who work so hard deserve to be recognized for the work they do, not for how much they can spend to advertise it.