Welcome! Below you’ll 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 of The DMV homepage.
Award mailing note: Awards were not distributed on site. Winners and finalists may request that their award be mailed by sending their mailing address and phone number to bestofthedmv@washingtoninformer.com
Best Black Tech Company
Winner: Barter Black
Top 3 Finalists:
NGEN
MPIRE Interactive
Best Chamber of Commerce or Business Association
Winner: Northern Virginia Black Chamber of Commerce (NoVaBCC)
Top 3 Finalists:
Virginia Black Chamber of Commerce (VBCC)
Prince George’s Chamber of Commerce (PGCoC)
Best Construction and Trade Company
Winner: Corenic Construction Group
Top 3 Finalists:
Blue Skye Construction
Metro Flooring & Interior Design
Best Digital Creator
Winner: The Spotlight DMV
Top 3 Finalists:
B Carter Solutions
NaturallySunny / Atiya
Best Event Planner
Winner: Creative Designs by Jamila Boddie
Top 3 Finalists:
ABCD & Company
Spotted MP (Marketing + Public Relations)
Best Law Firm
Winner: The Law Office of Deborah D. Boddie
Top 3 Finalists:
JS Proctor Law Firm
District Legal Group, PLLC
Best PR or Marketing Firm
Winner: Manifest Greatness Media
Top 3 Finalists:
Spotted MP (Marketing + Public Relations)
Go Promote You, LLC
Best Local Bank
Winner: Industrial Bank
Top 3 Finalists:
Navy Federal Credit Union
TD Bank
Best Photographer
Winner: Yulleta Pringle
Top 3 Finalists:
Bridgette Waters Turner
Joy Washington
Best Podcast Production Team / Studio
Winner: Listen In With KNN
Top 3 Finalists:
Bowie TV
Citycast DC
Best Print Shop
Winner: Minuteman Press Crofton
Top 3 Finalists:
Global Print Master
Petworth Printing
Best Realtor
Winner: Cher Castillo, McEnearney Associates, Inc.
Top 3 Finalists:
Deborah D. Boddie
Keith James
Best Small Business Resource
Winner: MoneyTalks Small Business Cohort
Top 3 Finalists:
Maryland Women’s Business Center
Forward Movement Enterprises
Best Woman- or Minority-Owned Construction and Trade Business
Winner: Corenic Construction Group
Top 3 Finalists:
Jair Lynch Real Estate Partners
Kimo Bentley Aesthetic Clinic
Best Alumni Organization
Winner: Morgan State University Alumni Association
Top 3 Finalists:
Howard University Alumni Association
Bowie State University National Alumni Association
Fairmont Heights High Alumni Association
Best Black Art Gallery
Winner: National Museum of African American History and Culture
Top 3 Finalists:
Art of Noize
Anacostia Art Gallery & Boutique
Best Business Improvement District (BID)
Winner: Anacostia BID
Top 3 Finalists:
Downtown BID
DC BID Council
Best Community Theater
Winner: DC Black Broadway
Top 3 Finalists:
Atlas Performing Arts Center
Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater
Best Cultural Festival
Winner: H Street Festival
Top 3 Finalists:
Chuck Brown Day Festival
Emancipation Day
Best Go-Go Band
Winner: Black Alley
Top 3 Finalists:
Rare Essence
TCB
Best HBCU Homecoming
Winner: Howard University
Top 3 Finalists:
Bowie State University
Morgan State University
Best Independent Art Gallery
Winner: Anacostia Arts Center
Top 3 Finalists:
Anacostia Community Museum
Overdue Recognition Art Gallery
Best Local Author
Winner: Marita Golden
Top 3 Finalists:
Jason Reynolds
Maurice Jackson
Best Local Poetry Reading / Venue
Winner: Busboys and Poets
Top 3 Finalists:
Lost City Books
Dupont Underground
Best Main Street
Winner: Eastern Market
Top 3 Finalists:
U Street Main Street
H Street Main Street
Best Music or Arts Nonprofit
Winner: The Dance Institute of Washington
Top 3 Finalists:
DC Black Broadway
STEP AFRIKA!
Best Performing Arts Venue
Winner: The Anthem
Top 3 Finalists:
Atlas Performing Arts Center
Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater
MGM National Harbor Hotel & Casino
Best Black-Owned Business Overall
Winner:
Noble Integrative Health | Dr. Tierra Hardin
Top 3 Finalists:
Heart of the City Candles
The Washington Informer
Best Community Organizer
Winner: The Baptist Ministers’ Conference for Women, Inc. (Upper Marlboro, MD)
Top 3 Finalists:
Derrell Simpson
Ronald Moten
Best DMV-Based Nonprofit
Winner: The StoreHouse
Top 3 Finalists:
The William O. Lockridge Community Foundation
The Baptist Ministers’ Conference for Women, Inc. (Upper Marlboro, MD)
Best Farmers Market
Winner: Eastern Market
Top 3 Finalists:
Black + Forth
Ward 8 Farmers Market
Best Park or Nature Trail
Winner: Anacostia Park
Top 3 Finalists:
Rock Creek Park
Fairwood Community Park
Best Sunday Service
Winner: Kettering Baptist Church
Top 3 Finalists:
Clinton Baptist Church
Alfred Street Baptist Church
Best Pastor or Spiritual Leader
Winner: Pastor Bucas Sterling, Kettering Baptist Church
Top 3 Finalists:
Rev. Dr. Shirley Y. Cobb
Pastor Keith Battle
Best Annual Gala
Winner: Richard Wright’s Annual Sundress, Sneakers, & Stogies
Top 3 Finalists:
Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc.
THEARC: Town Hall Education Arts Recreation Campus
Best DJ
Winner: DJ Dirty Rico
Top 3 Finalists:
DJ Nah Fr
DJ Lance Reynolds
Best Event Space / Venue
Winner: The Birchmere
Top 3 Finalists:
The Lincoln Theatre
Songbyrd Music House
Best Happy Hour
Winner: The Whiskey Bar Anacostia
Top 3 Finalists:
The Green Zone
Daru
Best Live Jazz in the DMV
Winner: Blues Alley Club
Top 3 Finalists:
The Birchmere
Mr. Henry’s
Best Live Music Venue
Winner: The Anthem
Top 3 Finalists:
Merriweather Post Pavilion
The Birchmere
Best Speakeasy
Winner: The Free State Distillery
Top 3 Finalists:
The Whiskey Bar Anacostia
Hill Prince | Hush Harbor
Best Family Support Service
Winner: 100 Fathers
Top 3 Finalists:
The IEP Team, LLC
Operation Earnie’s Plate
Best PTA
Winner: Friendship Public Charter School, Woodridge Elementary
Top 3 Finalists:
Eastern Senior High School
Eliot-Hine Middle School
Best Youth Arts Program
Winner: The Dance Institute of Washington
Top 3 Finalists:
Duke Ellington School of the Arts
ACT-SO (NAACP Youth Program)
Best BBQ
Winner: DCity Smokehouse
Top 3 Finalists:
2Fifty Texas BBQ
Federalist Pig
Best Bakery
Winner: Safeway
Top 3 Finalists:
Baked & Wired
The CakeRoom
Best Black-Owned Restaurant
Winner: The Strand DC
Top 3 Finalists:
DCity Smokehouse
Ruby’s Southern Comfort Kitchen
Best Brunch in the DMV
Winner: The Strand DC
Top 3 Finalists:
Busboys and Poets
The Park at 14th
Best Caribbean Restaurant
Winner: Jerk At Nite College Park
Top 3 Finalists:
Cane
Sapodillas Caribbean Restaurant and Catering DC
Best Carryout
Winner: MLK Deli
Top 3 Finalists:
DCity Smokehouse
Cafe Curbside
Best Fried Chicken
Winner: Honeymoon Chicken
Top 3 Finalists:
Oohh’s & Aahh’s
Busboys and Poets
Best Late-Night Bites
Winner: Chicken + Whiskey
Top 3 Finalists:
Jerk At Nite College Park
The Diner
Best Local Coffee Shop
Winner: Busboys and Poets
Top 3 Finalists:
Grounded: Plant Shop, Cafe, & Wellness Studio
Mix and Mingle Coffee Lounge
Best Place for Dessert
Winner: Insomnia Cookies
Top 3 Finalists:
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams
The Ugly Cake Factory
Best Supermarket
Winner: Safeway
Best Vegan / Vegetarian Spot
Winner: ELife Restaurant (Everlasting Life Vegan Restaurant)
Top 3 Finalists:
Busboys and Poets
The Land of Kush
Best Acupuncturist
Winner: Noble Integrative Health, Dr. Tierra Hardin
Top 3 Finalists:
Pure Green Dupont Circle
Acupuncture by Stephanie Mwangaza Brown
Best Gym
Winner: Her Flex Fitness
Top 3 Finalists:
9Round Kickboxing Fitness
DMV Iron Gym
Best Mental Health Advocate
Winner: Dhyana Parker
Top 3 Finalists:
Noble Integrative Health | Dr. Tierra Hardin
H.O.P.E. Behavioral Health
Best Physical Therapy Clinic
Winner: Solace PT & Pelvic Wellness
Top 3 Finalists:
The Stretch Loft Lanham
ATI Physical Therapy
Best Smoothie / Juice Bar
Winner: Turning Natural
Top 3 Finalists:
South Block
The Waterhole
Best Wellness Spa
Winner: The Red Bloom
Top 3 Finalists:
Salamander Washington DC
Grounded: Plant Shop, Cafe, & Wellness Studio
Best DC-Based Dispensary
Winner: Anacostia Organics
Top 3 Finalists:
Cookies DC
Best MD-Based Dispensary
Winner: Mary & Main: A Cannabis Dispensary
Top 3 Finalists:
Ascend Dispensary, Laurel
Hemp Haven Wellness Center
Best Community Journalist
Winner: Kelsey Nicole Nelson
Top 3 Finalists:
The Media Prince
The Spotlight DMV
Best Community-Based Newsletter
Winner: The Washington Informer
Top 3 Finalists:
The Spotlight DMV
The Advoc8te
Best Cultural Curator
Winner: Neverlanding
Top 3 Finalists:
The Museum
The Spotlight DMV
Best Local Blogger
Winner: The Spotlight DMV
Top 3 Finalists:
Kill Moe
The DMV Daily
Best Local News Organization
Winner: Listen In With KNN
Top 3 Finalists:
The Washington Informer
Howard University, WHUR-FM 96.3
Best Local Podcast
Winner: Partymode Live
Top 3 Finalists:
Listen In With KNN
The Spotlight DMV
Best Morning Show
Winner: Wake N Bake with BeMo
Top 3 Finalists:
Howard University, WHUR-FM 96.3
The Good Morning Show, WPGC
Best Radio Personality
Winner: Dr. Kaye Wise Whitehead
Top 3 Finalists:
DJ Lance Reynolds
Kelsey Nicole Nelson
Best Social Media Influencer
Winner: Kelsey Nicole Nelson
Top 3 Finalists:
The Spotlight DMV
Elizabeth “@bookersquared” Booker Houston
Best Black-Owned Boutique
Winner: Rent The Dress DC
Top 3 Finalists:
Hush Boutique
Express Yourself DMV
Best Cosmetics / Beauty Brand
Winner: Good Brows
Top 3 Finalists:
Gabby’s World Designs
Skin Beauty Bar
Best Entrepreneur Marketplace
Winner: Black + Forth
Top 3 Finalists:
Express Yourself DMV
Maryland Women’s Business Center Shop Local, Bowie Town Center
Best Florist
Winner: Lee’s Flower and Card Shop Inc.
Top 3 Finalists:
Safeway
Flowers by Alexes
Best Streetwear Brand
Winner: The Museum
Top 3 Finalists:
Shooters Sports
SOMEWHERE®
Best DMV HBCU
Winner: Howard University
Top 3 Finalists:
Bowie State University
Morgan State University
Best Fraternity Graduate Chapter
Winner: Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.
Top 3 Finalists:
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
Best Sorority Graduate Chapter
Winner: Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Top 3 Finalists:
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Alpha Beta Alpha Omega Chapter, Springfield, VA
Psi Epsilon Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Laurel / Bowie, MD
Best Youth Coach or Mentor
Winner: Selvon Malcolm Waldron
Top 3 Finalists:
Dr. Richard Myles
Roman Morris
Best Youth Fitness or Sports Program
Winner: Excel Golf
Top 3 Finalists:
Eastern High School Marching Band
2 Fly Boxing Gym