We at Watermark have decided it is time for us to be more visible, to come out of the closet so to speak. We cover the news in a state that is ground zero for anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and we want everyone to know that we are here to inform and support the LGBTQ+ community. Watermark will now operate under the name Watermark Out News. Same trusted news source, more visibly out.
We will also be rebranding our best of WAVE awards, now known as the WONDER Awards or Watermark Out News: Diversity, Excellence and Resilience Awards.
The WONDER Awards, just as the WAVES before, recognize the best in Central Florida’s LGBTQ+ community in the areas of activism, service, entertainment and more.
In each category, we ask our readers to write in who best represents the values of the LGBTQ+ community in your area. It can be any person, group or business that falls anywhere in our alphabet soup — including allies — as long as they have demonstrated their support for the community.
IMPORTANT NOTE: One vote per category per user. Multiple votes from a single user will be deleted. Each user must vote in a minimum of 15 categories to have their votes counted. Each ballot must include a valid email address.
Make sure when filling in your answers to include enough information so we can identify who, what and/or where you are speaking about. For questions asking for a person or group of people, make sure to put first and last name(s) of who you are voting for. For questions asking for “local” businesses, if there is more than one in your area (i.e., if you list Planet Fitness as your favorite fitness center) be sure to indicate the location of your favorite either with an address, district name, area or neighborhood.
The first round of voting, our write-in ballot, goes until 5:00 p.m. on Jan. 15. You tell us who has been the best of the best in the categories below. After the results have been tallied up, we will begin the next round on Jan. 17 at noon with the top five picks from each category.
Good luck and let the first round begin!
