Lights, camera ... Daysies! Hollywood has its star-studded Oscars season, fêting A-list celebrities for their silver-screen talents. It’s glitzy and glamorous, and from the red-carpet looks to the high-drama awards sweeps and snubs, we love to watch. But we can’t help but feel left out. What do the rest of us have to do for 15 minutes of fame?
Well, cue the soundtrack and get ready for the close-up, because Seven Days is transporting our annual best-of-Vermont competition to the Hollywood Hills. Every year our All the Best guide pulls back the curtain on what’s great about our state, from farmers markets to festivals, brewpubs to bike shops, restaurants to record stores. These are our leading lights — the prized people and places that make Vermont feel like the winners’ circle. Surely these locals deserve a golden Daysies statuette in recognition of their starring roles in our lives.
How did the Academy arrive at these award-worthy victors? It’s all readers’ choice, of course. Nearly 14,000 fans of Seven Days cast more than 300,000 votes in hundreds of categories, from mass-appeal blockbusters (creemee, country store, craft brewery) to niche indies (podcast, pedicure, pet groomer). This year’s Daysies applaud 230 winners, all of whom locals say live up to the hype. We also nod to 908 fabulous finalists — there are no small roles. Read on to learn more about this praiseworthy pack.
And be sure to support them. In a La-La Land world that sometimes seems to have lost touch with reality, spending time — and money — at these local gathering spots helps unite our communities and gives our downtowns a needed boost. Do that, and everyone’s a winner.
— Carolyn Fox
Are you a 2026 Daysies finalist? Do you advertise in Seven Days?
If so, you're invited to attend the Seven Daysies Party on Friday, August 7, 7-10 p.m. at the ECHO Center in Burlington.