It’s time again for Whidbey Examiner readers to vote for their favorite businesses and people in their community, those whom they believe stand out or are making a difference.

Online voting for Best of Whidbey 2016 is underway at www.whidbeyexaminer.com, the newspaper’s website. Paper ballots will also appear in the print editions of the Whidbey News-Times, South Whidbey Record and The Whidbey Examiner this month.

Last year’s Best of Whidbey awards luncheon was so successful that an evening banquet at a larger venue, the Elks Lodge, is scheduled for Friday, July 22. Ticket sales for the awards dinner will be limited.

The purpose of the lighthearted contest is to allow readers across the island a fun way to show their appreciation and support for great services and great people.

This year’s list of categories is a streamlined a bit but still includes such coveted awards as Best Business and Best Businessperson, according to Keven Graves, publisher of the Whidbey News Group.

Last year, nearly 3,000 readers cast more than 69,750 votes online. Graves said his hope is to see 5,000 people casting votes this year.

“We are excited about all the community involvement for this event,” said Associate Publisher Kim Winjum, whose team planned and organized last year’s successful awards luncheon.

Most of the categories include the top vote-getting nominees from last year. There is also the option of submitting write-in nominations in each category.

We strive to improve the contest each year, said Graves. “We take into account what our readers tell us they’d like to see.”

Some of the key awards, including Business of the Year and Best Businessperson, are by nomination only.

To ensure your votes are counted, be sure to hit “vote” when you’ve finished voting.