Best Local Original Band
Teagan and The Tweeds. @teaganandtweeds; teaganandthetweeds.com
Runners up: Joywave | Thunder Body | Violet Mary
Best Local Cover Band
The Skycoasters. skycoasters.com
Runners up: JunkyardFieldTrip | Something Else | Zac Brown Tribute Band
Best Local Solo Musician
Teagan Ward. teaganward.com
Runners up: Amanda Ashley | Jackson Cavalier | Roger Kuhn
Best Local Classical Musician/Group
Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. @rochesterphil; rpo.org
Runners up: Amenda Quartet | Angelicus String Quartet | Eastman Philharmonia
Best Local Jazz Musician/Group
Gap Mangione. gapmangione.com
Runners up: Steve Greene | Bob Sneider | Bill Tiberio
Best Local Album of 2015
"How Do You Feel Now?" by Joywave. joywavemusic.com
Runners up: "All That We Seem" by Violet Mary | "For All of You" by Extended Family | "Signal In The Static" by Crawdiddies
Best Music Concert of 2015 (Arena/Large Venue)
Ed Sheeran @ CMAC.
Runners up: Gary Clark Jr. @ Kodak Hall | Steve Gadd @ Kodak Hall | Santana @ CMAC | James Taylor @ CMAC
Best Music Concert of 2015 (Club/Small Venue)
Reel Big Fish @ Water Street.
Runners up: Guster @ Water Street | Joywave @ Bug Jar | St. Vincent @ Water Street
Best Live Music Venue
CMAC. 3355 Marvin Sands Drive, Canandaigua, 394-4400, cmacevents.com
Runners up: Abilene | Bug Jar | Water Street Music Hall
Best Live DJ
DJ Darkwave. @djdarkwave; djdarkwave.com
Runners up: Chreath | DJ Alykhan | DJ Kalifornia
Best Local Author
Frank De Blase. frankdeblase.com
Runners up: Charles Benoit | Chad Post | Bethany Snyder
Best Local Poet
Rachel McKibbens. @rachelmckibbens; rachelmckibbens.tumblr.com
Runners up: Charlie Cote | Jacob Rakovan | Lytton Smith
Best Locally Written Book of 2015
"Rochester Knockings" by Hubert Haddad. openletterbooks.org
Runners up: "More More Time" by David Seaburn | "Queen of the Fall" by Sonja Livingston | "Confounding the Wise" by Dan Kulp
Best Local Theater Production of 2015 (Non-musical at a resident space)
"Good People" @ Geva's Mainstage. gevatheatre.org
Runners up: "Bad Jews" @ JCC CenterStage | "The Mountaintop" @ Geva's Mainstage | "Sordid Lives" @ Black Sheep Theatre
Best Local Theater Production of 2015 (Non-Musical at a community space)
"Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2" @ Highland Park Bowl. rochestercommunityplayers.org
Runners up: "EstroFest" @ Nazareth College Arts Center | "Mammoth" @ MuCCC | "Vivien Leigh: The Last Press Conference" @ Geva's Nextstage
Best Local Musical Theater Production of 2015 (at a resident space)
"Little Shop of Horrors" @ Geva's Mainstage. gevatheatre.org
Runners up: "American Idiot" @ JCC CenterStage | "Beehive" @ Blackfriars Theatre | "Violet" @ Blackfriars Theatre
Best Local Musical Theater Production of 2015 (at a community space)
"West Side Story" @ Roberts Wesleyan College. roberts.edu
Runners up: "Aria Da Capo" @ Writers & Books | "Next to Normal" @ RIT Panara Theatre | "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" @ Roberts Wesleyan
Best Local Theater Company
Geva Theatre Center. 75 Woodbury Boulevard, 232-4382, gevatheatre.org
Runners up: Blackfriars Theatre | Downstairs Cabaret Theatre | RAPA | Rochester Broadway Theatre League
Best Local Stand-up Comedian
Sky Sands. skysands.com
Runners up: Woody Battaglia | Vinnie Paulino | Marianne Sierk
Best Local Comedy Group
Geva Comedy Improv. gevacomedyimprov.org
Runners up: EstroFest | Hardwood | Nuts and Bolts Comedy Improv
Best Local Dance Company
Garth Fagan Dance. 50 Chestnut Street, 454-3260, garthfagandance.org
Runners up: BIODANCE | FuturPointe Dance | Rochester City Ballet
Best Local Artist
Sarah C. Rutherford. @msshaftway
Runners up: Cordell Cordaro | Jay Lincoln | Mary Moore | St. Monci
Best Art Exhibit of 2015
WALL\THERAPY. wall-therapy.com
Runners up: 6x6x2015 @ RoCo | Clothesline @ Memorial Art Gallery | MUSE 2.0 @ Nan Miller Gallery | Nesting @ 1975 | Universal Magnetic @ Axom Gallery
Best Art Gallery
Memorial Art Gallery. 500 University Avenue, 276-8900, mag.rochester.edu
Runners up: 1975 | Artisan Works | RoCo
Best New Mural
"Birds of a Feather," by Sarah C. Rutherford and Mr. Prvrt. 812 Monroe Avenue.
Runners up: "Bollywood Sugar," 820 South Clinton Avenue, by Handiedan | "Detecting Machine" (Whale), 14 Capron Street, by Nevercrew | "Monsters vs. Robots," 1237 East Main Street, by Joe Guy Allard and Matthew Roberts | "Payback" beaver and boots, 880 East Main Street, by Onur & Wes21
Best Local Photographer
Jim Montanus. @jamesmontanus; montanusphotography.com
Runners up: Becky Arcadi | John Schlia | Tammy Swales | Gerry Szymanski | Aaron Winters
Best Local Filmmaker
Matthew Spaull. @matthewspaull; northlightpro.com
Runners up: Matthew Ehlers | Alex Freeman | Ben Gonyo | Chris Hogan-Roy
Best Local Film Festival
Rochester International Film Festival. rochesterfilmfest.org
Runners up: Greentopia | High Falls | ImageOut | Jewish Film Festival
Best Local Movie Theater
The Little. 240 East Avenue, 258-0400, thelittle.org
Runners up: Cinema Theatre | Dryden Theatre | Pittsford Cinema
Best Local Family-Friendly Attraction
Strong National Museum of Play. 1 Manhattan Square Drive, 263-2700, museumofplay.org
Runners up: Rochester Museum and Science Center | Seabreeze | Seneca Park Zoo
Best Local Music Festival
Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival. rochesterjazz.com
Runners up: Fairport Music Festival | Lilac Festival | Party in the Park
Best Local Arts Festival
Park Avenue Summer Art Fest. rochesterevents.com/
Runners up: Corn Hill Arts Festival | Clothesline | First Niagara Rochester Fringe Festival
Best Local Special Event
Lilac Festival. rochesterevents.com
Runners up: First Niagara Rochester Fringe Festival | Park Ave Festival | Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival
Best Food And Drink Festival
Food Truck Rodeo. cityofrochester.gov/foodtruckrodeo
Runners up: Flour City Brewers Fest | Rochester Real Beer Week | Roc City Rib Fest
Best Local Drag Performer
Darienne Lake. @dariennelake; dariennelake.com
Runners up: Mrs. Kasha Davis | DeeDee Dubois | Samantha Vega
