NEWBERG, Ore. — Every year, Newberg’s business owners show up. They open early, stay late, remember your name, and pour a little extra care into whatever it is they do. Newberg’s Favorites 2026 is the community’s chance to say they noticed.
Now in its second year, the competition opens nominations this week across 50 categories — from favorite coffee spot to favorite auto mechanic, favorite nonprofit to favorite food cart. For three weeks, residents can nominate the businesses, people, and places that made their year a little better. The top five nominees in each category then advance to a public vote.
But we at Newsberg will be quick to report what this is not: a public review or indictment of a person’s business. I want this to be a way for neighbors to say, “hey, that person did something special this year, and I want them to know I saw it.”
That framing matters in a small town, where the line between a business owner and a community member is often nonexistent (I know the feeling). The person who won last year’s favorite breakfast spot might also be coaching youth soccer. The food truck owner may be on the school fundraiser committee. The mechanic sponsors the Little League team.
Newberg’s Favorites isn’t a ranking of who is objectively best at what they do — it’s a snapshot of who the community has been grateful for.
Last year’s competition drew more than 8,000 total votes and recognized winners across dozens of categories, with businesses from downtown storefronts to food carts to wineries in the hills taking home the recognition. This year adds several new categories, including favorite auto shop, favorite brunch spot, and favorite happy hour — all areas where community members made clear they had strong opinions and nowhere to put them.
The nomination form is open now at newsberg.org and takes only a few minutes to fill out. You don’t need to nominate in every category — just the ones where someone earned it.
Because at the end of the day, that’s really what this is. A few hundred words of recognition for the people who spent their year trying to make this town a better place to live. They already did the work. All you have to do is tell them you noticed.
Nominations for Newberg’s Favorites 2026 are open through March 31, at https://forms.gle/TfFRmsyiY1Wyu7Cq6. Voting begins April 1. The nominations forms take anywhere from 5 – 10 minutes.
