{"id":1228560,"date":"2025-04-21T10:50:32","date_gmt":"2025-04-21T14:50:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/?page_id=1228560"},"modified":"2025-09-03T17:38:17","modified_gmt":"2025-09-03T21:38:17","slug":"best-of-the-dmv","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/best-of-the-dmv\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best of The DMV"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull has-dark-gray-background-color has-background\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60)\"><div class=\"wp-block-image less-space\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"301\" height=\"301\" data-attachment-id=\"1228564\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/best-of-the-dmv\/informer-best-of-dmv-v2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Informer-Best-Of-DMV-v2.png?fit=301%2C301&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"301,301\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Informer Best Of DMV v2\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Informer-Best-Of-DMV-v2.png?fit=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Informer-Best-Of-DMV-v2.png?fit=301%2C301&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Informer-Best-Of-DMV-v2.png?resize=301%2C301&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1228564\" style=\"width:250px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Informer-Best-Of-DMV-v2.png?w=301&amp;ssl=1 301w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Informer-Best-Of-DMV-v2.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Informer-Best-Of-DMV-v2.png?resize=200%2C200&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Informer-Best-Of-DMV-v2.png?resize=100%2C100&amp;ssl=1 100w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Informer-Best-Of-DMV-v2.png?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Informer-Best-Of-DMV-v2.png?w=400&amp;ssl=1 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 301px) 100vw, 301px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-64b26803 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<p class=\"has-white-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-71d1a0a60ea816fd14886ea37ff3c6b7\">Sponsored By:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"37\" data-attachment-id=\"1235680\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/best-of-the-dmv\/safeway_logo-svg-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Safeway_Logo.svg_-1.png?fit=200%2C37&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"200,37\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Safeway_Logo.svg\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Safeway_Logo.svg_-1.png?fit=200%2C37&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Safeway_Logo.svg_-1.png?fit=200%2C37&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Safeway_Logo.svg_-1.png?resize=200%2C37&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1235680\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Safeway_Logo.svg_-1.png?w=200&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Safeway_Logo.svg_-1.png?resize=150%2C28&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Safeway_Logo.svg_-1.png?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Safeway_Logo.svg_-1.png?w=400&amp;ssl=1 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center less-space has-white-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-5ce4a6156dc22bd2b164eb967768a675\" id=\"h-the-best-of-the-dmv\">The Best of the DMV<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center less-space has-white-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-e9d5cd95e3141c74d922bb4fc455b434\">Join us in celebrating the outstanding businesses and individuals across the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"eie_app\"><\/div>\n<script>(function(w,d,s,i){var eies=d.createElement(s);eies.id='eie_app_script'; eies.dataset.type='frame';eies.dataset.contestid=i;eies.src='https:\/\/eliteinsights-bucket-prod.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/sbuilder\/scrkk.js?cb='+Math.random(); document.body.appendChild(eies); }) (window,document,'script','botdmv');<\/script>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/privacy-policy\/\">Privacy Policy<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull has-light-gray-background-color has-background\" id=\"video\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-jetpack-videopress jetpack-videopress-player aligncenter\" style=\"\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"jetpack-videopress-player__wrapper\"> <div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><iframe title=\"VideoPress Video Player\" aria-label='VideoPress Video Player' width='500' height='281' src='https:\/\/videopress.com\/embed\/Ve3jDSX0?cover=1&amp;autoPlay=0&amp;controls=1&amp;loop=0&amp;muted=0&amp;persistVolume=1&amp;playsinline=0&amp;preloadContent=metadata&amp;useAverageColor=1&amp;posterUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fvideos.files.wordpress.com%2FVe3jDSX0%2Fwashington-informer-best-of-dmv-2025-revision_mp4.scrubthumb-1.jpg&amp;hd=0' frameborder='0' allowfullscreen data-resize-to-parent=\"true\" allow='clipboard-write'><\/iframe><script src='https:\/\/v0.wordpress.com\/js\/next\/videopress-iframe.js?m=1739540970'><\/script><\/div><\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" id=\"faqs\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-frequently-asked-questions\">Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Question: What is \u201cThe Best of The DMV\u201d?<br \/>Answer: <\/strong>The Best of The DMV is a vibrant community celebration where residents nominate and vote for their favorite local businesses, organizations, personalities, and places. It\u2019s the ultimate People\u2019s Choice recognition\u2014powered entirely by you. Winners are chosen by popular vote and showcased in a special edition of The Washington Informer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Q: What is the DMV?<br \/>A:<\/strong> The DMV refers to the dynamic region anchored by the nation\u2019s capital, Washington, D.C., and extending into neighboring communities in Maryland and Virginia. While it doesn\u2019t have strict geographic boundaries, the DMV is defined by its unmistakable style, shared culture, and vibrant local pride. It\u2019s more than just a place\u2014it\u2019s a way of life that\u2019s uniquely ours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Q: Does it cost money?<br \/>A: <\/strong>Nope! It\u2019s completely free to nominate, vote, and rally your community throughout the competition. Businesses and individuals can also choose to amplify their presence through sponsorship or promotional opportunities\u2014but participation is always free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Q: How do I participate?<br \/>A:<\/strong> Easy! <br \/><strong>Nominate<\/strong> your favorites during the nomination period (July 1\u2013Aug 15th, 2025).<br \/><strong>Vote<\/strong> for the finalists during the voting period (September 1\u2013October 3, 2025).<br \/><strong>Share<\/strong> with your network to help your picks win!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Q: Do you have to be a Black-owned business to participate?<\/strong><br \/><strong>A: <\/strong>No. <em>Best of The DMV<\/em> is open to all businesses. However, some sub-categories specifically highlight Black-owned businesses or organizations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Q: When does it happen?<br \/>A: <\/strong>Here are the key dates:<br \/><strong>Nomination Period:<\/strong> July 1 \u2013 Aug 15th, 2025<br \/><strong>Voting Period:<\/strong> September 1 \u2013 October 3, 2025<br \/><strong>Finalists Announced:<\/strong> October 2025 (Date TBD)<br \/><strong>Celebration Event:<\/strong> November 2025 (Date TBD)<br \/><strong>Awards Issue:<\/strong> November 2025 (Date TBD)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Q: Why should I care?<br \/>A: <\/strong>Because this is your chance to show love to the people, places, and businesses that make the DMV special. Your voice helps uplift our community and shine a spotlight on local excellence. For more than 60 years, The Washington Informer has proudly served the DMV with trusted, community-centered journalism. This initiative is part of our ongoing commitment to celebrate, advocate for, and elevate the people who shape our region every day. Whether you&#8217;re voting, nominated, or sponsoring, you\u2019re helping continue that legacy.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\t<div\n\t\tclass=\"wp-block-newspack-blocks-homepage-articles  wpnbha show-image image-aligntop ts-4 is-3 is-landscape \"\n\t\tstyle=\"\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t<div data-posts data-current-post-id=\"1228560\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"article-section-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span>Best of The DMV<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"1242382\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-best-of-the-dmv tag-demarco-rush tag-denise-rolark-barnes tag-h-street-festival tag-jada-ingleton tag-kelsey-nicole-nelson tag-micha-green tag-ra-jah-kelly tag-safeway tag-the-washington-informer category-best-of-the-dmv-editorial category-community type-post post-has-image\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"post-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/washington-informer-best-dmv-winners\/\" rel=\"bookmark\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_7033-scaled-e1766497391876.jpeg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-newspack-article-block-landscape-large size-newspack-article-block-landscape-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"Best of the DMV Culminates with Inaugural Winners Celebration\" data-hero-candidate=\"1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_7033-scaled-e1766497391876.jpeg?w=1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_7033-scaled-e1766497391876.jpeg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_7033-scaled-e1766497391876.jpeg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=400 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw \/ 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw \/ 12)), 100vw\" data-attachment-id=\"1242385\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/img_7033\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_7033-scaled-e1766497391876.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1200,900\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;1.5&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 14 Plus&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1766343527&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;5.7&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.033333333333333&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Anwar Saleem, executive director of H Street Festival, accepts the category win for Best Cultural Festival, as part of the first-ever Best of the DMV Winners Celebration on Dec. 21. &lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_7033-scaled-e1766497391876.jpeg?fit=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_7033-scaled-e1766497391876.jpeg?fit=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><!-- .featured-image -->\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/washington-informer-best-dmv-winners\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Best of the DMV Culminates with Inaugural Winners Celebration<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The inaugural Best of the DMV Awards, hosted by The Washington Informer, celebrated the accomplishments of Black leaders, creatives, and institutions in the District, Maryland and Virginia, and announced the James L. Wright Memorial Scholarship Fund in honor of the late WI staff writer.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/author\/jadaingleton\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" alt='Avatar photo' src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/cropped-JadaRIngleton-Headshot-scaled-1.jpg?resize=48%2C48&#038;ssl=1\" srcset='https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/cropped-JadaRIngleton-Headshot-scaled-1-96x96.jpg 2x' class='avatar avatar-48 photo' height=\"48\" width=\"48\" \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/author\/demarco-rush\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" alt='Demarco Rush' src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/cropped-image-13.jpg?resize=48%2C48&#038;ssl=1\" srcset='https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/cropped-image-13-96x96.jpg 2x' class='avatar avatar-48 photo' height=\"48\" width=\"48\" \/><\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"byline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"author-prefix\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author vcard\"><a class=\"url fn n\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/author\/jadaingleton\/\">Jada Ingleton<\/a><\/span> and <span class=\"author vcard\"><a class=\"url fn n\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/author\/demarco-rush\/\">Demarco Rush<\/a><\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><!-- .author-name -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2025-12-23T06:59:00-05:00\">December 23, 2025<\/time><time class=\"updated\" datetime=\"2025-12-24T13:49:40-05:00\">December 24, 2025<\/time>\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-meta -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"1242360\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-arts-and-culture-dmv tag-best-of-the-dmv-2025 tag-best-of-the-dmv-winners tag-black-owned-businesses-dmv tag-community-leaders-dmv tag-dc-maryland-virginia-awards tag-dmv-awards-2025 tag-food-and-dining-dmv tag-local-business-awards tag-media-and-journalism-dmv tag-nonprofits-dmv tag-small-business-dmv tag-washington-informer category-best-of-the-dmv-editorial type-post post-has-image\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"post-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/best-of-the-dmv-2025-winners\/\" rel=\"bookmark\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Best-of-The-DMV-Winners-Celebration-poster-2000-x-1050-px-negative-updated-1600-x-900-px.png?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-newspack-article-block-landscape-large size-newspack-article-block-landscape-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"Winners Announced: Best of The DMV 2025\" data-hero-candidate=\"1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Best-of-The-DMV-Winners-Celebration-poster-2000-x-1050-px-negative-updated-1600-x-900-px.png?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Best-of-The-DMV-Winners-Celebration-poster-2000-x-1050-px-negative-updated-1600-x-900-px.png?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Best-of-The-DMV-Winners-Celebration-poster-2000-x-1050-px-negative-updated-1600-x-900-px.png?resize=600%2C450&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Best-of-The-DMV-Winners-Celebration-poster-2000-x-1050-px-negative-updated-1600-x-900-px.png?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Best-of-The-DMV-Winners-Celebration-poster-2000-x-1050-px-negative-updated-1600-x-900-px.png?resize=200%2C150&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Best-of-The-DMV-Winners-Celebration-poster-2000-x-1050-px-negative-updated-1600-x-900-px.png?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw \/ 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw \/ 12)), 100vw\" data-attachment-id=\"1242365\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/best-of-the-dmv-2025-winners\/best-of-the-dmv-winners-celebration-poster-2000-x-1050-px-negative-updated-1600-x-900-px\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Best-of-The-DMV-Winners-Celebration-poster-2000-x-1050-px-negative-updated-1600-x-900-px.png?fit=1600%2C900&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1600,900\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Best of The DMV Winners Celebration poster 2000 x 1050 px negative updated (1600 x 900 px)\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;A branded graphic announcing the winners of Best of The DMV 2025, presented by The Washington Informer, highlighting top businesses, organizations, and community leaders across the DMV.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;The Washington Informer announces the winners of Best of The DMV 2025, celebrating excellence across business, culture, and community throughout the region.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Best-of-The-DMV-Winners-Celebration-poster-2000-x-1050-px-negative-updated-1600-x-900-px.png?fit=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Best-of-The-DMV-Winners-Celebration-poster-2000-x-1050-px-negative-updated-1600-x-900-px.png?fit=1024%2C576&amp;ssl=1\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><!-- .featured-image -->\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/best-of-the-dmv-2025-winners\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Winners Announced: Best of The DMV 2025<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Welcome! Below you\u2019ll find the Best of The DMV 2025 winners, along with the two other top finalists in each category, for a total of three honorees selected through community voting. Winners and finalists are listed together to recognize excellence across the region, and the full slate of honorees is also available on the Best\u2026<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/author\/washingtoninformerwebstaff\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" alt='Avatar photo' src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/cropped-cropped-cropped-INFORMER-I2.png?resize=48%2C48&#038;ssl=1\" srcset='https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/cropped-cropped-cropped-INFORMER-I2-96x96.png 2x' class='avatar avatar-48 photo' height=\"48\" width=\"48\" \/><\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"byline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"author-prefix\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author vcard\"><a class=\"url fn n\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/author\/washingtoninformerwebstaff\/\">WI Webstaff<\/a><\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><!-- .author-name -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2025-12-22T14:51:48-05:00\">December 22, 2025<\/time><time class=\"updated\" datetime=\"2026-01-27T18:44:02-05:00\">January 27, 2026<\/time>\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-meta -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"1242273\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-aisha-bonds tag-alvin-creswell tag-ashley-templeton tag-rico-scott tag-sam-p-k-collins tag-simone-ellison tag-the-strand-dc category-best-of-the-dmv-editorial category-business category-community type-post post-has-image\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"post-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/dc-black-owned-businesses\/\" rel=\"bookmark\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-107.jpg?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-newspack-article-block-landscape-medium size-newspack-article-block-landscape-medium wp-post-image\" alt=\"A Word With Some &#8216;Best of the DMV&#8217; Business Finalists\" data-hero-candidate=\"1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-107.jpg?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-107.jpg?resize=600%2C450&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-107.jpg?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-107.jpg?resize=200%2C150&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-107.jpg?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw \/ 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw \/ 12)), 100vw\" data-attachment-id=\"1242274\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/dc-black-owned-businesses\/image-12938\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-107.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1200,800\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;13&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;X-T4&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1693586420&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;18&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;640&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.005&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;**FILE** People gather in the Anacostia Business Improvement District (BID) during the 2023 DC JazzFest. Anacostia BID is a finalist for Best Business Improvement District for The Washington Informer\u2019s inaugural Best of the DMV contest. (Ja\u2019Mon Jackson\/The Washington Informer)&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-107.jpg?fit=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-107.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><!-- .featured-image -->\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/dc-black-owned-businesses\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">A Word With Some &#8216;Best of the DMV&#8217; Business Finalists<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The Washington Informer&#8217;s inaugural Best of the DMV contest recognizes the special connection between local businesses and their patrons, as well as the organizations that support them, such as the Anacostia Business Improvement District and the Greater Washington DC Black Chamber of Commerce.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/author\/samcollins\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" alt='Sam P.K. Collins photo' src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/cropped-Sam-P.K.-Collins-Bio-Page.png?resize=48%2C48&#038;ssl=1\" srcset='https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/cropped-Sam-P.K.-Collins-Bio-Page-96x96.png 2x' class='avatar avatar-48 photo' height=\"48\" width=\"48\" \/><\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"byline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"author-prefix\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author vcard\"><a class=\"url fn n\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/author\/samcollins\/\">Sam Plo Kwia Collins Jr.<\/a><\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><!-- .author-name -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2025-12-18T14:04:00-05:00\">December 18, 2025<\/time><time class=\"updated\" datetime=\"2025-12-24T12:46:29-05:00\">December 24, 2025<\/time>\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-meta -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"1242256\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-best-of-the-dmv tag-busboys-and-poets-anacostia tag-community-awards tag-community-powered-journalism tag-dmv-businesses tag-dmv-community tag-dmv-culture tag-jada-engleton tag-james-wright-memorial-scholarship tag-local-journalism tag-ra-jah-kelly tag-washington-dc-media tag-washington-informer category-best-of-the-dmv-editorial category-community type-post post-has-image\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"post-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/ra-jah-kelly-dmv-impact\/\" rel=\"bookmark\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Jada-Ra-Jah-interview-SS.png?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-newspack-article-block-landscape-large size-newspack-article-block-landscape-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"Video: Ra-Jah Kelly discusses the impact of Best of The DMV campaign\" data-hero-candidate=\"1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Jada-Ra-Jah-interview-SS.png?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Jada-Ra-Jah-interview-SS.png?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Jada-Ra-Jah-interview-SS.png?resize=600%2C450&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Jada-Ra-Jah-interview-SS.png?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Jada-Ra-Jah-interview-SS.png?resize=200%2C150&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Jada-Ra-Jah-interview-SS.png?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw \/ 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw \/ 12)), 100vw\" data-attachment-id=\"1242257\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/ra-jah-kelly-dmv-impact\/jada-ra-jah-interview-ss\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Jada-Ra-Jah-interview-SS.png?fit=1728%2C1254&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1728,1254\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Jada Engleton Interviews Ra-Jah Kelly for Best of The DMV Video\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;A still from a Washington Informer video interview featuring Content Editor Jada Engleton in conversation with Ra-Jah Kelly about the origins, community engagement, and goals of the Best of The DMV awards initiative.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Washington Informer Content Editor Jada Engleton interviews Ra-Jah Kelly, Chief Officer of Technology and Grants, about the vision and impact of the first-ever Best of The DMV campaign.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Jada-Ra-Jah-interview-SS.png?fit=300%2C218&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Jada-Ra-Jah-interview-SS.png?fit=1024%2C743&amp;ssl=1\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><!-- .featured-image -->\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/ra-jah-kelly-dmv-impact\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Video: Ra-Jah Kelly discusses the impact of Best of The DMV campaign<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>In this video, Ra-Jah Kelly, Chief Officer of Technology and Grants at The Washington Informer, discusses the vision behind the first-ever Best of The DMV campaign and why community participation was central to its success. With more than 2,000 nominees and 15,000 votes, the initiative highlights businesses, organizations, and individuals making a meaningful impact across\u2026<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/author\/washingtoninformerwebstaff\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" alt='Avatar photo' src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/cropped-cropped-cropped-INFORMER-I2.png?resize=48%2C48&#038;ssl=1\" srcset='https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/cropped-cropped-cropped-INFORMER-I2-96x96.png 2x' class='avatar avatar-48 photo' height=\"48\" width=\"48\" \/><\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"byline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"author-prefix\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author vcard\"><a class=\"url fn n\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/author\/washingtoninformerwebstaff\/\">WI Webstaff<\/a><\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><!-- .author-name -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2025-12-17T20:42:13-05:00\">December 17, 2025<\/time><time class=\"updated\" datetime=\"2025-12-17T20:42:15-05:00\">December 17, 2025<\/time>\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-meta -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"1241658\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-awards tag-best-of-the-dmv tag-busboys-and-poets-anacostia tag-dj-lance-reynolds tag-elijah-jamal-balbed tag-fundraiser tag-james-wright-memorial-scholarship tag-the-jogo-project tag-washington-informer-events category-best-of-the-dmv-editorial category-community type-post post-has-image\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"post-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/dmv-winners-celebration-fundraiser\/\" rel=\"bookmark\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Best-of-The-DMV-Winners-Celebration-and-Washington-Informer-1080-x-1350png.png?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-newspack-article-block-landscape-medium size-newspack-article-block-landscape-medium wp-post-image\" alt=\"Best of The DMV Winners Celebration Comes to Busboys and Poets Anacostia on December 21\" data-hero-candidate=\"1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Best-of-The-DMV-Winners-Celebration-and-Washington-Informer-1080-x-1350png.png?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Best-of-The-DMV-Winners-Celebration-and-Washington-Informer-1080-x-1350png.png?resize=600%2C450&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Best-of-The-DMV-Winners-Celebration-and-Washington-Informer-1080-x-1350png.png?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Best-of-The-DMV-Winners-Celebration-and-Washington-Informer-1080-x-1350png.png?resize=200%2C150&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Best-of-The-DMV-Winners-Celebration-and-Washington-Informer-1080-x-1350png.png?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw \/ 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw \/ 12)), 100vw\" data-attachment-id=\"1241661\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/dmv-winners-celebration-fundraiser\/best-of-the-dmv-winners-celebration-and-washington-informer-1080-x-1350png\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Best-of-The-DMV-Winners-Celebration-and-Washington-Informer-1080-x-1350png.png?fit=1080%2C1350&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1080,1350\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Best of The DMV Winners Celebration and Washington Informer 1080 x 1350png\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Promotional artwork for The Washington Informer\u2019s Best of The DMV Winners Celebration and Fundraiser on December 21, 2025, sponsored by Safeway.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Promotional artwork for The Washington Informer\u2019s Best of The DMV Winners Celebration and Fundraiser on December 21, 2025, sponsored by Safeway.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Best-of-The-DMV-Winners-Celebration-and-Washington-Informer-1080-x-1350png.png?fit=240%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Best-of-The-DMV-Winners-Celebration-and-Washington-Informer-1080-x-1350png.png?fit=819%2C1024&amp;ssl=1\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><!-- .featured-image -->\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/dmv-winners-celebration-fundraiser\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Best of The DMV Winners Celebration Comes to Busboys and Poets Anacostia on December 21<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The Washington Informer will host the Best of The DMV Winners Celebration &amp; Fundraiser on Sunday, December 21, from 5 to 9 p.m. at Busboys and Poets Anacostia, located at 2004 Martin Luther King Jr Ave SE. The event will bring together Best of The DMV 2025 finalists, supporters, and community members for an evening\u2026<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/author\/washingtoninformerwebstaff\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" alt='Avatar photo' src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/cropped-cropped-cropped-INFORMER-I2.png?resize=48%2C48&#038;ssl=1\" srcset='https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/cropped-cropped-cropped-INFORMER-I2-96x96.png 2x' class='avatar avatar-48 photo' height=\"48\" width=\"48\" \/><\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"byline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"author-prefix\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author vcard\"><a class=\"url fn n\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/author\/washingtoninformerwebstaff\/\">WI Webstaff<\/a><\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><!-- .author-name -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2025-12-08T01:12:29-05:00\">December 8, 2025<\/time><time class=\"updated\" datetime=\"2025-12-08T01:12:31-05:00\">December 8, 2025<\/time>\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-meta -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"1240507\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-anacostia tag-best-of-the-dmv tag-botdmv-2025 tag-community-events tag-dcity-smokehouse tag-finalist-event tag-smoked-soul-sessions tag-the-washington-informer tag-washington-dc-nightlife tag-washington-informer-events tag-whiskey-bar-anacostia category-best-of-the-dmv-editorial type-post post-has-image\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"post-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/best-dmv-finalist-happy-hour\/\" rel=\"bookmark\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/The-Whiskey-Bar-HH-Finalist-Sponsors-BOTDMV-story-image-1600-x-1200-px.png?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-newspack-article-block-landscape-large size-newspack-article-block-landscape-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"Best of The DMV Finalist Happy Hour and Interviews at The Whiskey Bar Anacostia\" data-hero-candidate=\"1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/The-Whiskey-Bar-HH-Finalist-Sponsors-BOTDMV-story-image-1600-x-1200-px.png?w=1600&amp;ssl=1 1600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/The-Whiskey-Bar-HH-Finalist-Sponsors-BOTDMV-story-image-1600-x-1200-px.png?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/The-Whiskey-Bar-HH-Finalist-Sponsors-BOTDMV-story-image-1600-x-1200-px.png?resize=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/The-Whiskey-Bar-HH-Finalist-Sponsors-BOTDMV-story-image-1600-x-1200-px.png?resize=150%2C113&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/The-Whiskey-Bar-HH-Finalist-Sponsors-BOTDMV-story-image-1600-x-1200-px.png?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/The-Whiskey-Bar-HH-Finalist-Sponsors-BOTDMV-story-image-1600-x-1200-px.png?resize=1536%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/The-Whiskey-Bar-HH-Finalist-Sponsors-BOTDMV-story-image-1600-x-1200-px.png?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/The-Whiskey-Bar-HH-Finalist-Sponsors-BOTDMV-story-image-1600-x-1200-px.png?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/The-Whiskey-Bar-HH-Finalist-Sponsors-BOTDMV-story-image-1600-x-1200-px.png?resize=600%2C450&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/The-Whiskey-Bar-HH-Finalist-Sponsors-BOTDMV-story-image-1600-x-1200-px.png?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/The-Whiskey-Bar-HH-Finalist-Sponsors-BOTDMV-story-image-1600-x-1200-px.png?resize=200%2C150&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/The-Whiskey-Bar-HH-Finalist-Sponsors-BOTDMV-story-image-1600-x-1200-px.png?resize=780%2C585&amp;ssl=1 780w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/The-Whiskey-Bar-HH-Finalist-Sponsors-BOTDMV-story-image-1600-x-1200-px.png?resize=706%2C530&amp;ssl=1 706w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/The-Whiskey-Bar-HH-Finalist-Sponsors-BOTDMV-story-image-1600-x-1200-px.png?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw \/ 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw \/ 12)), 100vw\" data-attachment-id=\"1240509\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/best-dmv-finalist-happy-hour\/the-whiskey-bar-hh-finalist-sponsors-botdmv-story-image-1600-x-1200-px\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/The-Whiskey-Bar-HH-Finalist-Sponsors-BOTDMV-story-image-1600-x-1200-px.png?fit=1600%2C1200&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1600,1200\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Best of The DMV Finalist Happy Hour \u2013 Event Graphic\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Event graphic for The Best of The DMV 2025 Finalist Happy Hour at The Whiskey Bar Anacostia on Nov. 20, 2025, from 5\u20137 p.m. The promotional design features The Best of The DMV logo, sponsor logos for Safeway, Signarama Silver Spring, and the Greater Washington DC Black Chamber of Commerce, and event details for finalists participating in interviews and networking.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Promotional image for The Best of The DMV 2025 Finalist Happy Hour and Interviews, held Nov. 20 at The Whiskey Bar Anacostia and sponsored by Safeway, Signarama Silver Spring, and the Greater Washington DC Black Chamber of Commerce.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/The-Whiskey-Bar-HH-Finalist-Sponsors-BOTDMV-story-image-1600-x-1200-px.png?fit=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/The-Whiskey-Bar-HH-Finalist-Sponsors-BOTDMV-story-image-1600-x-1200-px.png?fit=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><!-- .featured-image -->\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/best-dmv-finalist-happy-hour\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Best of The DMV Finalist Happy Hour and Interviews at The Whiskey Bar Anacostia<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Finalists of The Best of The DMV 2025, presented by Safeway, are invited to a special Happy Hour gathering at The Whiskey Bar Anacostia, located inside DCity Smokehouse. From 5\u20137 p.m., finalists can connect with fellow nominees, meet members of The Washington Informer team, and participate in on-camera interviews (schedule permitting). Registered finalists will receive\u2026<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/author\/washingtoninformerwebstaff\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" alt='Avatar photo' src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/cropped-cropped-cropped-INFORMER-I2.png?resize=48%2C48&#038;ssl=1\" srcset='https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/cropped-cropped-cropped-INFORMER-I2-96x96.png 2x' class='avatar avatar-48 photo' height=\"48\" width=\"48\" \/><\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"byline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"author-prefix\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author vcard\"><a class=\"url fn n\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/author\/washingtoninformerwebstaff\/\">WI Webstaff<\/a><\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><!-- .author-name -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2025-11-16T13:07:59-05:00\">November 16, 2025<\/time><time class=\"updated\" datetime=\"2025-11-16T13:08:02-05:00\">November 16, 2025<\/time>\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-meta -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"1240495\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-best-of-the-dmv tag-best-of-the-dmv-finalists tag-finalists-form tag-washington-informer category-best-of-the-dmv-editorial type-post post-has-image\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"post-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/best-of-the-dmv-finalists-confirm-your-information\/\" rel=\"bookmark\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Survey-Copy-of-Finalist-Story-Image-2.png?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-newspack-article-block-landscape-large size-newspack-article-block-landscape-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"The Best of The DMV Finalists: Please Confirm Your Information\" data-hero-candidate=\"1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Survey-Copy-of-Finalist-Story-Image-2.png?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Survey-Copy-of-Finalist-Story-Image-2.png?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Survey-Copy-of-Finalist-Story-Image-2.png?resize=600%2C450&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Survey-Copy-of-Finalist-Story-Image-2.png?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Survey-Copy-of-Finalist-Story-Image-2.png?resize=200%2C150&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Survey-Copy-of-Finalist-Story-Image-2.png?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw \/ 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw \/ 12)), 100vw\" data-attachment-id=\"1240496\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/best-of-the-dmv-finalists-confirm-your-information\/survey-copy-of-finalist-story-image-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Survey-Copy-of-Finalist-Story-Image-2.png?fit=1536%2C1024&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1536,1024\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Survey Copy of Finalist Story Image 2\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Confirm Your Best of The DMV Finalist Information&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Promotional graphic inviting finalists of The Best of The DMV to confirm their contact information.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Survey-Copy-of-Finalist-Story-Image-2.png?fit=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Survey-Copy-of-Finalist-Story-Image-2.png?fit=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><!-- .featured-image -->\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/best-of-the-dmv-finalists-confirm-your-information\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">The Best of The DMV Finalists: Please Confirm Your Information<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>As we prepare for the inaugural celebration of The Best of The DMV, we\u2019re reaching out to all finalists to confirm the correct spelling, contact information, and promotional details for each nominee. Because the community submitted most nominees, we\u2019re asking all honorees to complete this brief form so we can ensure accuracy across our website,\u2026<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/author\/washingtoninformerwebstaff\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" alt='Avatar photo' src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/cropped-cropped-cropped-INFORMER-I2.png?resize=48%2C48&#038;ssl=1\" srcset='https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/cropped-cropped-cropped-INFORMER-I2-96x96.png 2x' class='avatar avatar-48 photo' height=\"48\" width=\"48\" \/><\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"byline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"author-prefix\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author vcard\"><a class=\"url fn n\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/author\/washingtoninformerwebstaff\/\">WI Webstaff<\/a><\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><!-- .author-name -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2025-11-15T13:11:24-05:00\">November 15, 2025<\/time><time class=\"updated\" datetime=\"2025-11-15T13:11:28-05:00\">November 15, 2025<\/time>\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-meta -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"1240256\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-2025-finalists tag-best-of-the-dmv tag-black-owned-businesses tag-community-celebration tag-community-excellence tag-community-recognition tag-dc-events tag-dmv-awards tag-dmv-culture tag-local-businesses tag-local-journalism tag-local-pride tag-maryland tag-regional-spotlight tag-small-business-awards tag-the-best-of-the-dmv-2025 tag-the-washington-informer tag-virginia tag-washington-dc tag-washington-informer-awards category-best-of-the-dmv-editorial category-community type-post post-has-image\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"post-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/best-of-the-dmv-2025-finalists\/\" rel=\"bookmark\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Finalist-Sponsors-BOTDMV-story-image-1536-x-1024.png?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-newspack-article-block-landscape-large size-newspack-article-block-landscape-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"The Washington Informer Finalists for Inaugural Best of The DMV Awards\" data-hero-candidate=\"1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Finalist-Sponsors-BOTDMV-story-image-1536-x-1024.png?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Finalist-Sponsors-BOTDMV-story-image-1536-x-1024.png?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Finalist-Sponsors-BOTDMV-story-image-1536-x-1024.png?resize=600%2C450&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Finalist-Sponsors-BOTDMV-story-image-1536-x-1024.png?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Finalist-Sponsors-BOTDMV-story-image-1536-x-1024.png?resize=200%2C150&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Finalist-Sponsors-BOTDMV-story-image-1536-x-1024.png?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw \/ 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw \/ 12)), 100vw\" data-attachment-id=\"1240264\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/best-of-the-dmv-2025-finalists\/finalist-sponsors-botdmv-story-image-1536-x-1024\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Finalist-Sponsors-BOTDMV-story-image-1536-x-1024.png?fit=1536%2C1024&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1536,1024\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"The Best of The DMV 2025 Finalists Announcement\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Promotional image for The Washington Informer\u2019s Best of The DMV 2025 Finalists announcement. Featuring community leaders, small businesses, and cultural changemakers across the District, Maryland, and Virginia, this campaign celebrates excellence and impact throughout the region. Winners will be revealed during a livestreamed awards ceremony on December 12.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;The Washington Informer unveils the finalists for its inaugural Best of The DMV Awards, recognizing local excellence and community pride across the District, Maryland, and Virginia.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Finalist-Sponsors-BOTDMV-story-image-1536-x-1024.png?fit=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Finalist-Sponsors-BOTDMV-story-image-1536-x-1024.png?fit=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><!-- .featured-image -->\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/best-of-the-dmv-2025-finalists\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">The Washington Informer Finalists for Inaugural Best of The DMV Awards<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Presented by Safeway, The Best of The DMV is The Washington Informer\u2019s inaugural effort to celebrate the best and brightest across this amazing community we\u2019re proud to call home. With nearly 1,700 nominations, we were challenged to narrow down dozens of worthy contenders whose categories simply didn\u2019t receive enough engagement to move forward. In the\u2026<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/author\/ra-jah-kelly\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" alt='A photo of Ra-Jah Kelly.' src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/cropped-Rajah1.png?resize=48%2C48&#038;ssl=1\" srcset='https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/cropped-Rajah1-96x96.png 2x' class='avatar avatar-48 photo' height=\"48\" width=\"48\" \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/author\/washingtoninformerwebstaff\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" alt='Avatar photo' src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/cropped-cropped-cropped-INFORMER-I2.png?resize=48%2C48&#038;ssl=1\" srcset='https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/cropped-cropped-cropped-INFORMER-I2-96x96.png 2x' class='avatar avatar-48 photo' height=\"48\" width=\"48\" \/><\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"byline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"author-prefix\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author vcard\"><a class=\"url fn n\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/author\/ra-jah-kelly\/\">Ra-Jah S. Kelly<\/a><\/span> and <span class=\"author vcard\"><a class=\"url fn n\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/author\/washingtoninformerwebstaff\/\">WI Webstaff<\/a><\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><!-- .author-name -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2025-11-10T22:00:00-05:00\">November 10, 2025<\/time><time class=\"updated\" datetime=\"2025-12-10T16:16:08-05:00\">December 10, 2025<\/time>\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-meta -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"1235971\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-best-of-the-dmv tag-campaign-tips tag-community-support tag-dmv-businesses tag-local-awards tag-voting-round tag-washington-informer category-best-of-the-dmv-editorial type-post post-has-image\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"post-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/how-to-campaign-best-of-the-dmv-2025\/\" rel=\"bookmark\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/how-to-campaign-best-of-the-dmv-2025.png?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-newspack-article-block-landscape-medium size-newspack-article-block-landscape-medium wp-post-image\" alt=\"How to Campaign for The Best of The DMV 2025\" data-hero-candidate=\"1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/how-to-campaign-best-of-the-dmv-2025.png?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/how-to-campaign-best-of-the-dmv-2025.png?resize=600%2C450&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/how-to-campaign-best-of-the-dmv-2025.png?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/how-to-campaign-best-of-the-dmv-2025.png?resize=200%2C150&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/how-to-campaign-best-of-the-dmv-2025.png?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw \/ 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw \/ 12)), 100vw\" data-attachment-id=\"1235973\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/how-to-campaign-best-of-the-dmv-2025\/how-to-campaign-best-of-the-dmv-2025\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/how-to-campaign-best-of-the-dmv-2025.png?fit=1024%2C1024&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1024,1024\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"how-to-campaign-best-of-the-dmv-2025\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;This infographic, created for The Best of The DMV 2025 campaign, provides nominees with simple strategies to encourage votes: share with contacts, post on social media, leverage your space with QR codes or flyers, and collaborate with partners. Featuring the official Best of The DMV 2025 logo from The Washington Informer.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;How to Campaign for The Best of The DMV 2025 \u2014 share with contacts, post on social media, leverage your space, and partner with others to boost votes.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/how-to-campaign-best-of-the-dmv-2025.png?fit=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/how-to-campaign-best-of-the-dmv-2025.png?fit=1024%2C1024&amp;ssl=1\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><!-- .featured-image -->\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/how-to-campaign-best-of-the-dmv-2025\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">How to Campaign for The Best of The DMV 2025<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Being nominated for The Best of The DMV is an honor\u2014and now it\u2019s time to rally your community to vote! Use your voice, your network, and the official hashtag #BestOfTheDMV to spread the word. Here are a few simple ways to boost your chances: For nominees who\u2019d like extra visibility, we offer promotional support including\u2026<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/author\/washingtoninformerwebstaff\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" alt='Avatar photo' src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/cropped-cropped-cropped-INFORMER-I2.png?resize=48%2C48&#038;ssl=1\" srcset='https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/cropped-cropped-cropped-INFORMER-I2-96x96.png 2x' class='avatar avatar-48 photo' height=\"48\" width=\"48\" \/><\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"byline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"author-prefix\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author vcard\"><a class=\"url fn n\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/author\/washingtoninformerwebstaff\/\">WI Webstaff<\/a><\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><!-- .author-name -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2025-09-01T00:01:00-04:00\">September 1, 2025<\/time><time class=\"updated\" datetime=\"2025-09-05T23:21:32-04:00\">September 5, 2025<\/time>\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-meta -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"1235965\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-best-of-the-dmv-2025 tag-community-awards tag-dmv-businesses tag-dmv-community tag-dmv-voting tag-local-awards tag-local-leaders tag-maryland tag-safeway tag-small-business-recognition tag-virginia tag-washington-dc tag-washington-informer category-best-of-the-dmv-editorial category-pressroom type-post post-has-image\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"post-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/best-of-dmv-2025-nominees-voting\/\" rel=\"bookmark\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1080-x-1080-Vote-Best-of-the-DMV-Safeway.png?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-newspack-article-block-landscape-medium size-newspack-article-block-landscape-medium wp-post-image\" alt=\"The Washington Informer Announces Nominees for The Best of The DMV 2025\" data-hero-candidate=\"1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1080-x-1080-Vote-Best-of-the-DMV-Safeway.png?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1080-x-1080-Vote-Best-of-the-DMV-Safeway.png?resize=600%2C450&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1080-x-1080-Vote-Best-of-the-DMV-Safeway.png?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1080-x-1080-Vote-Best-of-the-DMV-Safeway.png?resize=200%2C150&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1080-x-1080-Vote-Best-of-the-DMV-Safeway.png?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw \/ 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw \/ 12)), 100vw\" data-attachment-id=\"1235967\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/best-of-dmv-2025-nominees-voting\/1080-x-1080-vote-best-of-the-dmv-safeway\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1080-x-1080-Vote-Best-of-the-DMV-Safeway.png?fit=1080%2C1080&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1080,1080\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"1080 x 1080 Vote Best of the DMV Safeway\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Support your favorites in The Best of The DMV 2025! Voting is live through October 3. Presented by Safeway.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Voting is open now through October 3, 2025. Cast your vote once per day, per category, per business. Presented by Safeway.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1080-x-1080-Vote-Best-of-the-DMV-Safeway.png?fit=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1080-x-1080-Vote-Best-of-the-DMV-Safeway.png?fit=1024%2C1024&amp;ssl=1\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><!-- .featured-image -->\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/best-of-dmv-2025-nominees-voting\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">The Washington Informer Announces Nominees for The Best of The DMV 2025<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE The Washington Informer is proud to announce the nominees for The Best of The DMV 2025. Thousands of nominations were received from across the region, highlighting the businesses, leaders, and organizations that make our community thrive. We thank Safeway, the presenting sponsor of The Best of The DMV 2025, and Signarama Silver\u2026<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/author\/washingtoninformerwebstaff\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" alt='Avatar photo' src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/cropped-cropped-cropped-INFORMER-I2.png?resize=48%2C48&#038;ssl=1\" srcset='https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/cropped-cropped-cropped-INFORMER-I2-96x96.png 2x' class='avatar avatar-48 photo' height=\"48\" width=\"48\" \/><\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"byline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"author-prefix\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author vcard\"><a class=\"url fn n\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/author\/washingtoninformerwebstaff\/\">WI Webstaff<\/a><\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><!-- .author-name -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2025-09-01T00:00:00-04:00\">September 1, 2025<\/time><time class=\"updated\" datetime=\"2025-09-06T01:17:19-04:00\">September 6, 2025<\/time>\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-meta -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sponsored By: The Best of the DMV Join us in celebrating the outstanding businesses and individuals across the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia. Privacy Policy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4417,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"no-header-footer.php","meta":{"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":true,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":true,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_primary_brand":0,"nota_seo_page_title":"","nota_seo_page_description":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_hide_page_title":true,"newspack_show_share_buttons":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[82033,82032,82035,82034],"brand":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[66411],"class_list":["post-1228560","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","tag-60-years","tag-best-of","tag-best-of-the-dmv","tag-best-of-the-dmv-2025","entry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.0 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Best of The DMV - The Washington Informer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/best-of-the-dmv\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Best of The DMV\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Sponsored By: The Best of the DMV Join us in celebrating the outstanding businesses and individuals across the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia. Privacy Policy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/best-of-the-dmv\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Washington Informer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WashingtonInformer\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-09-03T21:38:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Informer-Best-Of-DMV-v2.png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@WashInformer\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Ra-Jah S. Kelly\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/best-of-the-dmv\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/best-of-the-dmv\/\",\"name\":\"The Best of The DMV - The Washington Informer\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/best-of-the-dmv\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/best-of-the-dmv\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Informer-Best-Of-DMV-v2.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-04-21T14:50:32+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-03T21:38:17+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/best-of-the-dmv\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/best-of-the-dmv\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/best-of-the-dmv\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Informer-Best-Of-DMV-v2.png?fit=301%2C301&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Informer-Best-Of-DMV-v2.png?fit=301%2C301&ssl=1\",\"width\":301,\"height\":301},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/best-of-the-dmv\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Best of The DMV\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/\",\"name\":\"The Washington Informer\",\"description\":\"Black News, Commentary and Culture | The Washington Informer\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"The Washington Informer\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/INFORMERLogo-3.png?fit=1432%2C529&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/INFORMERLogo-3.png?fit=1432%2C529&ssl=1\",\"width\":1432,\"height\":529,\"caption\":\"The Washington Informer\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WashingtonInformer\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/WashInformer\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/washinformer\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCy1nXP8_IuoJ-1N9e53762g\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Best of The DMV - The Washington Informer","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/best-of-the-dmv\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Best of The DMV","og_description":"Sponsored By: The Best of the DMV Join us in celebrating the outstanding businesses and individuals across the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia. 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Kelly","date":"February 24, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Gaining the World Without Losing Our Soul Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping business, media, education, and public policy across The DMV. But as adoption accelerates, so do questions about trust, transparency, workforce impact, environmental consequences, and leadership responsibility. 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