Last week, we talked about something called the "Summer Passport," a scavenger hunt of sorts, dreamed up by our advertorial team. This week, they handed me the prize list. You can read your way through the whole thing below but it's, uh, a lot.  

Here's the deal: 

Pick up a Weekly and flip through until you see a bingo-style page. For the issue that comes out today, it's on Page 15. Start visiting the businesses, the first of which will give you a yellow stamp sheet likes the ones pictures below. Each business has a task you have to complete (ie, take a selfie, eat a quesadilla, sing on stage—basically, things you would want to be doing with your day anyway) in order to get their square marked off. Once you've stopped by all 24 locations, come by the newsroom (7725 N. Mona Lisa Road, #125. We're open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and turn in your game card. You have until Friday, Sept. 4 at noon to enter.

We're giving away three ridiculously sizable packs of prizes. Basically, winning means we've got your entertainment and gift-giving budget covered for quite a while.

So hit the streets, check out some local businesses and do some good luck rituals, because these prizes are pretty damn hefty. But first, get a look at this prize list: 

You know that intense, inescapable anxiety that comes with impending deadlines? The kind that is still stressful even when the source of the stress has temporarily been forgotten? Sometimes I'll be sitting on my couch and suddenly I'll remember that I've been worrying about ... something. The rent is due? I need to call my mother back? Perhaps its just another existential crisis? 

Well, if you've been feeling the pressure of a mysterious but looming deadline, I bet it's because you've been stressed out about finishing your Best of Tucson ballot. With the Aug. 2 deadline right around the corner, I can't blame you. These are weighty decisions. So, head over to the finalist* ballot, make sure you vote in at least 30 categories, and hit submit. Time is running out. 


*Yes, this is a ballot of finalists. In the last round of voting, you could nominate whomever you wanted or whatever categories. Now, if you want to vote in a specific category, you have to pick someone still in the running. We don't want your grump phone calls about which breakfast spots didn't make the list. It's not our fault you live in a city with a booming brunch scene.

I could write something cute, but we both know you're just here for the link. 

Email me ([email protected]) if you're having trouble logging in. Do your due diligence and make sure you can back up each of the (minimum 30) votes you submit. Ballots are due August 2.

Here's to a weekend of monsoons, Ice Cream and passing judgement on each and every finalist on the list. 

Vote.

Every summer, as even lifelong Tucsonans hide away near their swamp coolers or run off on beach vacations, things slow down here in the Old Pueblo. In an effort to get you out of the house and running* around town, our advertorial team dreamed up a "Summer Passport."

If you are one of our super cool print readers—thanks for that, by the way—then you may have already noticed something on Page 25 of the paper. If not, here's the deal: 24 local businesses have given us gift cards—so, so, so many gift cards—and we're raffling them off in packs.

Here's how you play:

Pick up a Weekly and start visiting the businesses listed on Page 25. The first business you stop by will give you your golden passport. Each business has a task you have to complete (ie, take a selfie, eat a quesadilla,  sing on stage—basically, things you would want to be doing with your day anyway) in order to get their square marked off. Once you've stopped by all 24 locations, come by the newsroom (7725 N. Mona Lisa Road, #125. We're open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and turn in your game card. You have until Friday, Sept. 4 at noon to enter.

We're giving away three ridiculously sizable packs of prizes. Basically, winning means we've got your entertainment and gift-giving budget covered for quite a while.

So hit the streets, check out some local businesses and do some good luck rituals, because these prizes are pretty damn hefty.


*We're not really going to make you run. You can drive around with the air conditioning up as high as your little heart desires. It's hot out there.

Chances are, unless you've just stumbled across our website for the first time ever, you're aware we're running our annual Best of Tucson survey. We're in the middle of the finals right now. 

But, there is a problem. About 600 people have started but not submitted their Best of Tucson ballots. 

Maybe those 600 people are taking their time and considering their options, maybe they got started and realized they didn't have strong enough opinions on the minimum 30 required categories, maybe the 216 category survey is a liiiittle intimidating. Whatever the case, those 600 votes matter—in fact, I looked at the numbers and in some categories, they're game changers. 

So take a look at your ballot! Even if you've already submitted it, you can tweak your answers. Make sure you've filled out at least 30 categories, press submit, and feel free to check back in and confirm your "Best Public Garden" pick still holds up after you've had a few days to mull it over.

As you should already know (because you should have already read the introduction and started your ballot—you only have until June 15 to participate in the first round!), this year's Best of Tucson® theme is Our Ink Stained Heart. 

In case you missed it:

Tucson leaves an impression. It doesn't matter if you grew up picking cholla out of your shins or if you just stopped by for few years at the UA, Tucson pens itself on everyone. And, like the tattoos so many of us desert rats bear, we carry our Tucson with us—through the holes in the road, the sweaty summers and that gentrification our commenters love to complain about.

The fact is, Tucson has an ink stained heart—fragile, strong, in love, in pain, but definitely covered in ink. Our ink. It's true, we newspaper folk have ink-stained everything... but Tucson stains souls. We'll show you in this year's Best of Tucson®—that's the theme of our annual guide to all things good and loved in the Old Pueblo.

Now, we want to see your ink. We need to illustrate our Best Of edition and we thought, hey, maybe our readers have some tattoos that might do the trick. Now, we are specifically looking for heart tattoos (what have you got? Maybe something anatomical? Something a little abstract? Textual?)  that we might be able to use to pair with the ballot but we're also looking for some cool tattoos for the issue as well. (You have a pizza tattoo? We have a pizza category! Literary tattoo? We have several book categories! Tooth/Lisa Frank/color-by-numbers tattoos? We have—well, nothing, but we might still want them in the paper).

If perfectly spiced elote makes your heart sing, tanning salons help you look like a true Arizonan through the winter or if you know the secret to drinking shots in the Old Pueblo, we need to hear from you. See, Best of Tucson® balloting is going well. However, these lovely categories are feeling a little neglected. So, businesses, start campaigning! Shot people, start voting! Tell your friends, tell your mom, tell your barista. Use us as a topic of conversation when you're stuck at a party with your boyfriend's friends. Spread the word, because more votes means better results—and that's really all we're looking for when it comes to finding the Best of Tucson®.

So, go vote! Feel free to leave your thoughts below, but your input only counts if you fill out the ballot. So, vote. 

Vote, vote, vote, vote, vote vote, vote.

Did our picks for Tucson's 100 Essential Dishes make you mad? Did you just discover Tucson's best thrift store? Do you want to make sure your Vet gets the recognition he or she deserves? Well, it's time. Best of Tucson time. 

We have (finally!) released the ballot for this year's Best of Tucson. We're running the voting like last year: You have until June 15 to nominate anyone for any category. Then, we'll tally up the votes and open up a second round of voting where the top three contenders can fight for your love. 

So, go vote! Tell your friends to vote. Go to that bar/sporting goods store/bike lane you've been thinking about and then come home and fill out the survey. 

You can save your ballot and come back to it if you need more time—we get it, it's tough to choose sometimes—just make sure it's all filled out by June 15.

Now, don't get too excited—we're just beginning to talk about 2015's Best of Tucson here in the newsroom. Voting is still awhile away and we haven't settled on a theme. We are, however, giving our list of categories a critical look and we thought you might have some opinions. 

What categories do we need to add? Should any of them be more specific? Are there categories we shouldn't care about any more? Tell us what you want!

You can see the full list of 2014 Best of Tucson categories/winners here. 

The Tucson Weekly is hiring a staff writer and GOSH THAT COULD BE YOU. Basically, we need someone who can contribute content to the Weekly, print and online, across the wide variety of subject matter we cover here. Plus, we need someone who isn't boring, who gets alt-weekly style. Someone who can write a well-researched cover story and a clever blog post about a YouTube video. We just want it all, is that too much to ask?

Read over the qualifications below and if you think you're up for the challenge, send me ([email protected]) a cover letter, your resume, and three clips of your previously published work.

PRIMARY PURPOSE

The Staff Writer will cover specific beats as well as general assignments/breaking news as needed.

Essential Job Duties

• Responsible for thoroughly reporting news stories, features and other stories accurately in a clear, concise manner.
• Complete knowledge of beat(s) and local cultural happenings, in order to produce news/ features for print or digital platforms on a daily basis.
• Producing stories that can be used in special sections not directly tied to a beat.
• Assign photos/graphics with stories as early as possible and take photos on an as-needed basis.
• Flexible hours to accommodate breaking and other news.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, & ABILITIES

• Knowledge of AP style and ethical standards of the journalism field
• Ability to cultivate sources on beats to enhance story content/production.
• Ability to write clearly and concisely.
• Experience with online media, including ability to write blogs consistent with the Weekly’s style
• Ability to take photographs on an as-needed basis.
• Knowledge of Weekly’s audience
• Abililty to work under deadline.
• Ability to work flexible hours.

MINIMUM POSITION QUALIFICATIONS

Education: Bachelor’s degree, preferably in journalism
Experience: Experience as a freelancer or staffer at professional media outlets, preferably in the alternative newsmedia realm with clips that demonstrate reporting and writing proficiency.