By Rita Howell

Get your pens and pencils ready.

Voting begins today in The Panolian’s Best of Panola County Contest, with opportunities for readers to select their favorites among 180 categories in the local business community.

The popular contest returns with a short window for entries and tightened rules that help ensure fair balloting.

 The ballot is found inside a special tabloid section published with the newspaper today. Also inside the special section, advertisers are asking for the votes of their patrons to be selected to one of the top spots.

Readers are encouraged to fill out the ballot and cast it at one of five official collection boxes found at Kroger, Piggly Wiggly, and Save-A-Lot grocery stores in Batesville, The Panolian office in Batesville, and at Chandler’s Fresh Market in Sardis.

As an incentive to vote, there will be a drawing for a $100 shopping spree.

Voters are reminded to be sure to supply their name and address. Ballots without this information will not be counted.

Only an original ballot will be accepted. Photocopies will be destroyed and not counted. No mail-in ballots will be accepted.

After today’s edition, the official ballot will appear only in one other edition, on Wednesday, June 25, in The Panolian Advantage.

Voting will continue through Monday, June 30, at 5 p.m.

After the votes are tallied, winners will be announced in the Friday, July 18 edition of The Panolian.