Official Rules
The Upstate Excellence Awards ("the Awards").
1. Eligibility
Nominated businesses must be independently operated and physically located in, or primarily serving, the Upstate South Carolina region (including but not limited to Greenville, Spartanburg, Anderson, Greer, Easley, Simpsonville, Mauldin, and surrounding communities).
2. Nominations
Anyone may submit a nomination during the published nomination period. Nominations are reviewed by the Awards team, who determine the finalists in each category at their sole discretion. Duplicate, ineligible, or bad-faith nominations may be removed.
3. Voting
During the published voting period, the public may vote for finalists. Each voter is limited to one vote per category, verified by a unique email address. Votes must be confirmed via the link emailed to the voter to be counted. Automated, fraudulent, purchased, or coordinated bulk voting is prohibited and will result in disqualification of the affected votes and, where relevant, the affected business.
4. Winners
The finalist with the most confirmed votes in each category is the winner. The Awards team reserves the right to investigate irregularities and to make final determinations. Winners will be notified and announced publicly on this site.
5. Privacy
Email addresses are collected to verify participation (nominations and voting) and, where you opt in, to send occasional Upstate Excellence Awards updates — voting reminders, winners, and new categories. We never sell or publish your email address, and you can unsubscribe at any time by contacting us at award@upstateexcellenceawards.com. Business contact details submitted through our For Businesses form are used only to contact you about your listing and the awards.
6. Changes
The Awards team may update these rules or adjust the schedule. The current version always governs.
Last updated June 2026. The Awards are operated by NetSoloWeb and are not affiliated with any government entity.