For the third time, we have kicked off our Locals Choice program.

The nomination portion is active, and we hope you will participate. Please visit www.suffolknewsherald.com and click on the link at the top of the page or any of the Locals Choice ads that appear on the page, and you will be transported to the nomination page. We are accepting nominations through Aug. 8.

From the beginning, we wanted Locals Choice to be just that — the choice of Suffolk’s residents. Please take time to recognize businesses you like with your nomination.

Many business people pour their life savings and countless hours into their business. They sometimes sacrifice prosperous careers in other lines of work to follow their passions. Along the way, they create the majority of jobs and build the tax base. They are probably among your friends and neighbors, too.

We want as many as possible to get the recognition they deserve.

While the contest will definitely feature winners, there are no losers. A business may get edged out, but all the same, it may very well still be on the rise. You might see that business again next year. And in some cases, a smaller and quieter, but excellent, operation may be exactly what they want.

Our contest cannot possibly identify all the great places in Suffolk for you to visit, but we hope you will look at the nominees and winners and discover some places you have never been or, perhaps, be reminded of old favorites you have not visited for too long.

Please shop locally and give them the compliment that is worth more than any contest — your patronage.

The nomination portion is the first part of our contest. After the nominees are tabulated, the most-nominated businesses in each category will be on a ballot that will be used to select the winners. Again, readers of the Suffolk News-Herald and its website will choose the winners.

Those winners will be announced in a special edition that will be published at the end of September.

But for now, please jump in and nominate your favorites. It is free, fun, and you could win $100 and a free subscription to the Suffolk News-Herald, just for participating. We thank you, and your nominees will, too.

John Carr is the publisher of the Suffolk News-Herald. Email him at john.carr@suffolknewsherald.com.