What are the area’s top hot spots? The biggest, the best, the brightest? We ask these questions every year for the Funcoast.com Readers’ Choice Awards, and your response is overwhelming.

We’ve got great food, a great location on the lake, great entertainment and more — and the RCAs is a celebration of all those things. It’s time for you to tell us: Where do you like to eat? Hang out? Be entertained? We wouldn’t be experts on local hot spots if it weren’t for you. Here’s the rundown on everything you need to know about the RCAs.

What’s new?
Tons and tons of categories — as in, a whopping 75 of them. (Click here for the full list.) It’s safe to say we’ve taken a no-holds-barred approach this year. After trimming the list last year, some of you seemed a little disappointed.

We kept reader favorites like best coffee and best burger, but added quirky, offbeat categories, like where to eat on the cheap and best place to buy vintage.

Norwalk made a big showing in last year’s RCAs, and we’re hoping to see even more Huron County favorites this year. So don’t forget your Norwalk hot spots when you’re nominating!

For fans of the outdoors, we’ve included categories like best place to go fishing, best place to go swimming, best beach, best place to hike and more.

Like to shop? We’ve got categories for that, too — best garden shop/nursery, best store in the mall, best florist, best pet store and more.

In the spirit of fun (and also at the urging of our wonderful photographers), we’ve come up with the category of Best Funcoast.com Photographer.

Win an iPad!
It’s true — one lucky online voter will winn an iPad. Want a chance to win? Vote here, and vote daily. Hint: the more you vote, the greater your chances.

How do I vote?
It’s simple. You can vote here. If you haven’t already, make sure you create a login for Funcoast.com (funcoast.com/user/register).

Once you’re logged in, go to the ballot. Once you’re there, nominate your favorites by filling in the blanks.

One thing to remember: be specific — tell us where. Many businesses have multiple locations. For example, if you want to nominate McDonald’s for Best Fast Food Restaurant, help us out and let us know which one. This will save us some time and confusion in the long run.

If you prefer a print ballot, we have limited quantities of print ballots available at our sponsor locations (see the list, above right).

Voting will be in two rounds. The nomination period runs from Jan. 18 through 5 p.m. on Jan. 27. We’ll then tally up your nominations, and those businesses that received the most votes will go on to the finals. The final voting period, where you’ll choose from the top three in each category, will run from Feb. 1 through 5 p.m. on Feb. 24.

Voting rules are easy: you can vote once a day, every day, for both the nomination period and the final voting period.

Party up
Even bigger, even better. This year, the RCA Party will be held March 8 at Kalahari. Last year’s party was a hit, with over 500 guests throughout the evening.

We’ll have delicious food, a cash bar and plenty of phenomenal prizes. Our live entertainment will be provided by some of the best bands and musicians around: The Womack Family Band, Chris Castle, Dan Fester, The Sewing Circle and more.

The best part? The party is open to everyone, not just businesses and nominees. It has become one of the biggest community events, and we want to see you there.

You can find paper ballots here:
• Mr. Ed’s Bar & Grille, Port Clinton
• Mathews Ford, Sandusky 
• Old Dutch, Sandusky  
• Danny Boy’s, Sandusky  
• Star Lanes, Sandusky  
• Cooker Bar & Grille, Sandusky  
• Perkins Restaurant, Sandusky   •Cameo Pizza, Sandusky  
• Auto Grind, Sandusky  
• Corso’s Flower & Garden Center, Sandusky  
• Daly’s Pub, Sandusky  
• Water Street Bar & Grille, Sandusky  
• Firelands Winery, Sandusky  
• Norwalk Heating, Norwalk  
• Berardi’s, Sandusky  
• Cheers Bar & Grill, Sandusky  
• Mad River Harley-Davidson, Sandusky
• Kalahari Resort & Convention Center, Sandusky
• Trendlines, Sandusky