Earning a Best of Lynchburg award should be celebrated, and earning this recognition year after year earns a business a spot in the Hall of Fame.

To place in our Best of Lynchburg Hall of Fame, a business, person, or place needs to have won a gold level award in a particular category for the majority of the years since VistaGraphics first launched the contest in 2014.

Flip through to see who is the best of the best in the region!

(Voting for the 2026 Best Of Lynchburg Awards begins July 25 on LynchburgLiving.com. Look for those winners in the January/February issue of Lynchburg Living!)

Dear Best Of Winner,

Congratulations on being voted as a winner in the 2026 Best Of Central Virginia Weddings! We hope you are just as excited as we are to celebrate and share your win with the world. Below is a complimentary toolkit with graphics for you to share as you wish. Congratulations again!

Instagram Post (Download Here)

Instagram Story (Download Here)

Facebook Cover (Download Here)

Email Header (Download Here)

Web Header (Download Here)

Winner Logo (Download Here)

Do you know someone who is always giving back to our local community? Nominate them for our 2025 Lynchburg Living Community Champion awards! Nominations are open June 10 – August 15, 2025. Results will be published in the Nov./Dec. 2025 issue of Lynchburg Living.

A Community Champion is someone who tirelessly devotes themselves to giving back—whether that means going the extra mile in their workplace, championing change within their community, or volunteering their time. Your nomination serves as a testament to their selflessness and acknowledges their contributions in making the Lynchburg region a better place.

THIS CONTEST HAS ENDED.

Selected honorees will be featured in the Nov./Dec. 2025 issue of Lynchburg Living Magazine.

Who is eligible to be a Community Champion? Anyone in the Lynchburg, Bedford, Campbell, Amherst, Appomattox area who gives back in tangible and specific ways, including but not limited to:

1. Philanthropist
2. Humanitarian
3. Community Leader
4. Social Activist
5. Volunteer Coordinator
6. Charity Organizer
7. Nonprofit Founder/Executive Director
8. Community Advocate
9. Environmental Steward
10. Mentor/Mentorship Leader
11. Social Worker
12. Community Builder
13. Advocate for Change
14. Youth Mentor
15. Fundraiser
16. Outreach Coordinator
17. Service Volunteer
18. Civic Engagement Leader
19. Human Rights Advocate
20. Public Servant
21. Nonprofit Leader
22. Pastor or Faith-Based Leader
23. Corporate Social Responsibility Manager
24. Education Advocate
25. Healthcare Worker or Advocate
26. Crisis Response Volunteer
27. Disaster Relief Coordinator
28. Cultural Ambassador
29. Arts Patron
30. Diversity and Inclusion Champion
31. Animal Welfare Advocate
32. Homelessness Advocate
33. Elderly Care Volunteer
34. Disability Rights Activist
35. Refugee Support Worker
36. Indigenous Rights Advocate
37. LGBTQ+ Rights Activist
38. Social Justice Organizer
39. Food Security Advocate
40. Mental Health Advocate
41. Literacy Champion
42. Community Development Specialist
43. Youth Empowerment Leader
44. Disability Inclusion Advocate
45. Health Equity Champion
46. Substance Abuse Counselor

Access Form Here:

Dear Best of Lynchburg Participant,

Congratulations on being nominated into the Hall of Fame in Lynchburg!  To help maximize your exposure, we’ve designed a marketing toolkit available for your use. Feel free to use the marketing materials below in any way you see fit. We hope these materials aid in spreading the word of your outstanding Hall of Fame achievement!

Instagram Post (Download Here)

Instagram Story (Download Here)

Facebook Cover (Download Here)

Email Header (Download Here)

Web Header (Download Here)

Dear Best of Central Virginia Weddings Participant,

Congratulations on being nominated as one of the BEST in Central Virginia’s wedding industry!  To help you maximize your exposure, we’ve designed a marketing toolkit available for your use. Feel free to use the materials provided below in any way you see fit, and don’t forget to include the hashtag #bestofcentralvaweddings when sharing online. We hope these tools help you proudly showcase your nomination and spread the word about your participation in this year’s contest!

Instagram Post (Download Here)

Instagram Story (Download Here)

Facebook Cover (Download Here)

Email Header (Download Here)

Web Header (Download Here)

The Virginian Hotel’s elegant ballroom was filled to capacity on January 1 as Best Of winners, sponsors, and attendees gathered for an unforgettable evening.

Guests enjoyed an exceptional culinary experience, thanks to Bentleys on Bedford, Skyline at the Virginian, Downtown Cairo, Sweet Indulgence Bakery, The Virginian Hotel, Mellow Mushroom, Playa Bowls, Market at Main, County Smoak, and William & Henry Steakhouse. As they sampled a variety of mouthwatering local flavors, attendees cast their votes for the evening’s top restaurant. Downtown Cairo earned Gold in the People’s Choice awards, with County Smoak taking Silver and Market at Main securing Bronze.

The celebration continued on the dance floor as winners and guests sang and danced the night away to the incredible sounds of Apple Butter Soul. Sarah Blankenship, representing Pierce Street Gateway—this year’s nonprofit partner—graciously emceed the event.

A special thank you to our sponsor, Beacon Credit Union, whose support helped make this celebration possible.

Photos by Ashlee Glen.

Join us at the 2025 Lynchburg Living Best Of Party!

SEE EVENT RECAP HERE

When: February 1, 2025 | 6-9 p.m.

Where: The Virginian Hotel

Tickets: SOLD OUT! | NO TICKETS WILL BE SOLD AT THE DOOR!

Come celebrate the winners of the 2025 Lynchburg Living Best Of Readers’ Choice Awards! This event is going to be extra special and extra fun! The event will feature live music to dance the night away, as well as delicious bites from local restaurants and cash bars. 

Guests can also book a hotel room at The Virginian with a Best Of Party exclusive discount. Book here. 

Each ticket includes:

• Tastings from all restaurants
• A drink ticket
• Live entertainment
• General seating at a table

Entertainment:

Apple Butter Soul

Restaurants:

Bentley’s on Bedford

William & Henry Steakhouse

The Skyline Grill

Eight O One Raw Bar

Downtown Cairo

The Virginian

County Smoak

Playa Bowls

Mellow Mushroom

Sweet Indulgence Bakery

Market at Main

2025 Sponsors:

The Lynchburg Living Best Of Awards are the result of an online voting contest at lynchburgliving.com, held from July-September 2024.

Voting took place for the entire duration of the contest with write-in nominations accepted for the first few weeks. Readers could vote one time per email address in as many or as few categories that they preferred.

The winners listed inside this section are the ones that received the most votes.

Congratulations on your achievement in the 2025 Best Of Lynchburg Readers’ Choice Awards! This an outstanding compliment and we hope you are eager to share the good news. Below is a complimentary toolkit to help share your win with the world. Please consider using the hashtag #LynchburgBestOf when sharing!

Instagram Post {DOWNLOAD HERE}

Instagram Story {DOWNLOAD HERE}

Facebook Cover {DOWNLOAD HERE}

Web Header {DOWNLOAD HERE}

Email Header {DOWNLOAD HERE}

Voting in the Lynchburg Living Best Of Readers’ Choice Awards is a great way to support the places you frequent and the people you love here in the greater Lynchburg area. We rely on readers like to you to determine who the best businesses and individuals are in our region in a variety of categories from everything Food & Drink to Home & Garden and beyond. Winners will be those who receive the highest number of votes overall in their categories at the conclusion of the contest. We thank you in advance for your participation and look forward to sharing the results with you in our January-February 2025 issue of Lynchburg Living!

The Lynchburg Best Of Awards: 
VOTING PERIOD: July 26 – September 13, 2024
Note: If you do not see your favorite business in the ballot, you may nominate them until August 12. This nomination will also serve as your vote. Please allow 48 business hours for your approved nominated vote to appear in the pre-populated choices on the ballot. 

Rules and Regulations

• You may vote one time per category for the duration of the contest (a nomination counts as a vote!).
• Duplicate Submissions by the same entrant will be subject to disqualification. Any attempt by any entrant to obtain more than the stated number of entries by using multiple/different social media or email accounts, identities, registrations and logins, or any other methods will void that entrant’s entries and that entrant may be disqualified. All terms and conditions of any utilized social media apply. Multiple entrants are not permitted to share the same social media or e-mail account. Use of any automated system to participate is prohibited and will result in disqualification. In the event of a dispute as to any social media or e-mail account, the authorized account holder of the email address used to register on the platform will be deemed to be the entrant. The “authorized account holder” is the natural person assigned an email address by an Internet access provider, online service provider or other organization responsible for assigning email addresses for the domain associated with the submitted address. Each potential winner may be required to show proof of being the authorized account holder.
• Lynchburg Living reserves the right to modify any categories and/or contestants.
• A contestant may be nominated in a maximum of six categories. Any nominations following their sixth category will be removed.
• A contestant will be immediately disqualified if they are found guilty of violating one of the following contest rules:

  • Exchanging a good or service for votes (including bribes, sales, discounts, free, etc.)
  • Exploiting a competing contestant negativetly for personal gain or votes
  • Participating in fraudulent voting (3rd party resources, fraudulent emails, etc.)
  • If you see someone guilty of any of the above, please report to bella@vgnet.com. 

Were you nominated and want to promote? Use our complimentary voting toolkit to help spread the word!