.NYC announces the 5 winners of the Best of Boroughs contest (plus some .nyc stats)

The City of New York, on behalf of .nyc, crowned the winners of the first-ever Best of Boroughs contest.

The Best of the Boroughs 5 website winners are:

• Best of Bronx – NewDayChurch.nyc is committed to building a healing faith community in the Bronx. Through Sunday worship, small group gatherings and social justice projects, the church transforms the lives of community members in the Bronx.
• Best of Brooklyn – JustFix.nyc is a non-profit organization that partners with community groups and non-profit legal services across New York City to support tenants in gathering and sharing information about their housing conditions, and helping them secure repairs.
• Best of Manhattan – Sideways.nyc is a website devoted entirely to supporting and promoting New York City’s small businesses on the side streets. Manhattan Sideways is a resource of information about the stories of people, places and details of the side streets of Manhattan.
• Best of Queens – Laurelton.nyc is a hyper-local website dedicated to encouraging civic engagement, preserving the history of Laurelton and sharing information about the neighborhood. The Divas for Social Justice are the community partner powering Laurelton.nyc.
• Best of Staten Island – MakerParkRadio.nyc is a live streaming radio and video web-based broadcasting station. The station uses arts and maker-based programming to unite a community of music and arts lovers.

“The Best of Boroughs contest was designed to showcase the small businesses, organizations and entrepreneurs across the five boroughs that are prospering from the unique opportunities a .nyc web address affords them. Since .nyc is a benefit reserved exclusively for New Yorkers, only individuals and businesses located in one of the five boroughs were eligible to participate in the contest. Winners were selected based on a variety of factors, including general public appeal, the value to local community and economy, the history and story of the individual business as it relates to the greater good of the New York City community and the overall user experience of the .nyc website.”

All of the Best of Boroughs winners will be featured in a citywide .nyc advertising campaign, including a professional photo shoot and a variety of unique promotional opportunities focused on showcasing their business and brand. A complete description of the winning submissions can be found here.

“When launching .nyc three years ago, we set out to create a vibrant digital destination for all the businesses, organizations and residents of New York,” said Miguel Gamiño, Chief Technology Officer, Mayor’s Office of the Chief Technology Officer. “I want to congratulate all of the winners of the 2017 Best of Boroughs contest and recognize them for their creativity and local commitment. It’s uplifting to see the transformational impact .nyc has had across our five boroughs and the pride and community spirit with which our .nyc name space has been embraced.”

“With the launch of .nyc, the City of New York has been at the forefront of the internet domain revolution, tapping into new ways for city governments to build community, spur economic growth and foster local pride,” said Lori Anne Wardi, Vice President, Registry Solutions, Neustar.

According to Wardi, “As one of the early adopters of a branded city top-level domain, .nyc has become a shining example of what is possible for other cities around the world that are eager to launch their own city-branded domains with the aim of empowering their local communities to connect and engage online in new and exciting ways. New York City’s success will continue to inspire many cities vying for their chance to secure a coveted branded “dot-city” domain extension.”

The Mayor’s Office of the Chief Technology Officer also released updated data today, offering strong support for the efficacy of the City’s domain registration policies, which aim to promote fairness and transparency, while preventing cybersquatting and hoarding of domain names. The data reflects .nyc domain registrations through October 1, 2017:

• There are more than two dozen industries represented on the .nyc domain;
• 52 percent of .nyc domains have been registered to individuals; 48 percent have been registered to small businesses and organizations;
• The average registrant owns between 1-2 domains, and 97 percent of registrants own 10 or fewer domains;
• The average retail cost paid for .nyc domain is $34.99.

Today, according to Namestat.org, there are 71,961 registered .nyc domain names.