---
title: How the Award Winners Are Chosen | Local Laurels
url: https://locallaurels.com/how-winners-are-chosen/
updated: 2026-10-29
---

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[Local Laurels](https://locallaurels.com/)

[How winners are chosen](https://locallaurels.com/how-winners-are-chosen/)[For winners](https://locallaurels.com/claim/)

1. [Home](https://locallaurels.com/)
2. Methodology

The method

# How the winners are chosen

Three equal winners per service and city, every year. Here is exactly how we choose them.

## Who is considered

Every business we can find that offers the service in the city, from public business listings. To be considered it must be open, reachable by phone and have enough public reviews to judge fairly.

## What counts

- **Rating** , weighted by how many reviews it rests on.
- **Review history** : how many reviews, and how recent they are.
- **Years in business.**
- **Record checks** : state license and registration where public records allow, with the source and date on each winner page.

The three businesses with the strongest record win. Each award is equal.

## Why random order

There is no first, second or third. The three winners are shown in random order, and the order changes each time a page loads.

## Every year

New winners are announced each autumn for the coming year. Ratings and records are rechecked during the year.

## Money and corrections

Paying us never affects who wins. See [how we make money](https://locallaurels.com/how-we-make-money/), or [ask for a correction](https://locallaurels.com/corrections/) if a number is wrong.

## The method, in plain words

How are the three winners chosen?

We look at every business we can find for the service in the city and score its public record: rating (weighted by how many reviews it rests on), review history, years in business, how complete its details are and the record checks we could confirm. The three strongest records each win an equal award.

Why are the winners shown in random order?

Because the award is equal. Showing them 1, 2, 3 would suggest a first place we never decided. The published order is shuffled for each edition and shuffled again every time the page loads, so no winner sits on top.

What do the milestones mean?

Milestones mark a business’s own achievements, such as 1,000 public reviews or 25 years in business. They celebrate that business on its own; they are not a comparison with the other winners.

When are new winners announced?

Each autumn, for the coming year. We recheck ratings, reviews and records during the year, and the date on every winners page shows the last update.

[Local Laurels](https://locallaurels.com/)

Each year, three local businesses per service and city win an equal award. They are shown in random order, never ranked, and nobody can pay to win.

## The awards

- [How winners are chosen](https://locallaurels.com/how-winners-are-chosen/)
- [All winners](https://locallaurels.com/)
- [Request quotes](https://locallaurels.com/quote/)

## Winners

- [Claim your winner page](https://locallaurels.com/claim/)
- [Request a correction](https://locallaurels.com/corrections/)
- [Contact](https://locallaurels.com/contact/)

## Trust

- [How we make money](https://locallaurels.com/how-we-make-money/)
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Ratings and review counts come from public sources and are rechecked during the year. Sponsored placements are labelled and never affect who wins. © 2026 Local Laurels.