Texas County Best of the Best 2026 nominations start Tuesday

Nominations for Texas County’s Best of the Best 2026 contest open Tuesday, giving residents the first chance to put local favorites in front of the countywide vote and decide which names get early visibility across Guymon and the Oklahoma Panhandle.

The Guymon Daily Herald is asking readers to nominate their favorite Texas County businesses and service providers on its website, turning the annual contest into a public tally of which places and people residents rely on most. In a county where recognition can quickly steer attention toward a shop, office or community organization, the nomination window matters because the first names onto the ballot often shape the field that follows.

That local competition carries extra weight in Texas County, the second-largest county in Oklahoma by total land area, with 2,041.3 square miles of land. Guymon, the county seat and largest city, had 12,965 residents in the 2020 census and an estimated 12,397 in 2024, while Texas County’s population was 21,384 in 2020 and 20,577 in 2024. The county’s economy remains closely tied to farming, cattle production and related food industries, which helps explain why business recognition campaigns tend to resonate across the area.

The contest also reflects the people who live here. The U.S. Census Bureau says 54.1% of Texas County residents identify as Hispanic or Latino, and 61.3% of Guymon residents do as well. In communities where many families know the same grocers, mechanics, medical offices, churches and civic groups by name, a local favorites contest can become a practical measure of trust as much as popularity.

A 2025 Daily Herald promotion described the contest in direct terms: “Nominations for our annual Best of the Best contest are OPEN! Be sure to nominate your favorite Texas County businesses and service providers.” That same contest page showed how quickly the process can move once nominations close, with Top Picks revealed June 1 and voting beginning June 8 and running through June 28.

For businesses, organizations and service providers across Guymon and the rest of Texas County, the opening Tuesday is the part that can matter most. Early nominations can determine which names stay visible long enough to make the ballot, build momentum and carry that recognition into the rest of 2026.