Best in the Nest Readers’ Picks were chosen exclusively by readers through a one-month nomination process followed by a one-month voting process. The nominations were not tampered with by Queen City Nerve staff at all — save for removing ourselves from a few categories to proactively dispel any notions of favoritism. In other words, if you disagree with these ones, that’s on your fellow reader, not us. 2023 saw more than 25,000 ballots cast between the nomination and final rounds of voting.
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Winners: Download your award graphics here
Best in the Nest 2023: The Party
Sunday, Dec. 3 · Norfolk Hall · 3 to 8 p.m.
GET TICKETS
THE RESULTS ARE IN! Get out there and grab a copy of the 2023 Best in the Nest issue (find them here) and get ready to throw down with us. Winners receive a special 50% off discount code on ticket purchases – If you find out that you’re a winner, send us an email ([email protected]) for the code and let us know what category you won in.
After five years of putting together our annual awards issue, we are pulling it all together in person to celebrate our five-year anniversary. Join us at Norfolk Hall on Sunday, December 3 for an evening full of live music, live art performances, food and drinks, a local market and a VIP art gallery.
VIP Tickets are SOLD OUT
Come hang with the rest of us in General Admission
VISUAL ARTS
BEST ART GALLERY
Winner: Goodyear Arts
Runner Up: Charlotte Art League
BEST DISPLAY OF PUBLIC ART
Winner: Camp North End
Runner Up: Charlotte International Arts Festival
BEST EXHIBIT
Winner: Picasso Landscapes: Out of Bounds @ The Mint Museum
Runner Up: Doomsday & Night III @ Goodyear Arts
BEST INSTALLATION ARTIST
Winner: Malu Tan
Runner Up: Elizabeth Palmisano
BEST MURALIST
Winner: Bree Stallings
Runner Up: Osiris Rain
BEST MUSEUM
Winner: The Mint Museum
Runner Up: Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture
BEST PHOTOGRAPHER
Winner: Gloria Zavaleta
Runner Up: Brian Twitty
BEST SCULPTOR
Winner: Grace Stott
Runner Up: Liz Cisneros
BEST TATTOO ARTIST
Winner: Hayley Moran
Runner Up: Rodney Raines
BEST VISUAL ARTIST
Winner: Arko
Runner Up: Elizabeth Palmisano
PERFORMING ARTS
BEST ACTOR
Winner: Scott Tynes-Miller
Runner Up: Timothy Hager
BEST ACTRESS
Winner: Becca Worthington
Runner Up: Kadey Ballard
BEST AERIALIST
Winner: Satarah
Runner Up: Carolina Quirós Otárola
BEST CLASSICAL DANCER
Winner: Aidan Conway
Runner Up: Sarah Hayes Harkins
BEST COMEDIAN
Winner: Joy Surles
Runner Up: Jason Allen King
BEST COMEDY VENUE
Winner: The Comedy Zone
Runner Up: Starlight on 22nd
BEST CONTEMPORARY DANCER
Winner: Audrey Baran
Runner Up: Carolina Quirós Otárola
BEST DRAG PERFORMER
Winner: Onya Dover Nerves
Runner Up: Riley Malicious
BEST IMPROV TROUPE
Winner: Shameless Society
Runner Up: Group Hugs-n-Harmony
BEST MAGICIAN
Winner: Caleb Morgan
Runner Up: Colin Eleazer
BEST MOVIE THEATER
Winner: Independent Picture House
Runner Up: Cinemark Bistro Charlotte
BEST PERFORMING ARTIST(S)
Winner: The Flamingo Revue
Runner Up: SHAE Movement African Arts
BEST PLACE TO HEAR SPOKEN WORD
Winner: Petra’s
Runner Up: The Evening Muse
BEST SKETCH COMEDY ROUTINE
Winner: Charlotte Squawks
Runner Up: Black Power Rangers
BEST STORYTELLER
Winner: Hannah Hassan
Runner Up: Becca Worthington
BEST THEATRE COMPANY
Winner: Theatre Charlotte
Runner Up: Three Bone Theatre
BEST THEATRE SHOW (NATIONAL)
Winner: SIX: The Musical
Runner Up: The Book of Mormon
BEST THEATRE SHOW (LOCAL)
Winner: The Chinese Lady, Three Bone Theatre
Runner Up: POTUS, Charlotte Conservatory Theatre
MUSIC BY VENUE
BEST CONCERT VENUE
Winner: Visulite Theatre
Runner Up: The Evening Muse
BEST LOCAL RECORD LABEL
Winner: Four Finger Records
Runner Up: Self Aware Records
BEST LOCAL SHOW OF THE PAST 12 MONTHs
Winner: Thousand Dollar Movie Cassette Release Show @ Petra’s
Runner Up: The Flamingo Revue: Summer of Sin @ Visulite Theatre
BEST MUSIC FESTIVAL (IN STATE)
Winner: Hopscotch Music Festival 2023
Runner Up: Dreamville Fest 2023
BEST MUSIC FESTIVAL (OUT OF STATE)
Winner: Shaky Knees Music Festival
Runner Up: Riot Fest
BEST MUSIC SCHOOL/LESSONS
Winner: School of Rock Charlotte
Runner Up: We Rock Charlotte
BEST NATIONAL SHOW OF THE PAST 12 MONTHS
Winner: Tenacious D @ PNC Music Pavilion
Runner Up: Blink-182 @ Spectrum Center
BEST OPEN MIC NIGHT
Winner: Find Your Muse @ The Evening Muse
Runner Up: Free Comedy Night @ Starlight on 22nd
BEST PLACE TO HEAR COUNTRY MUSIC
Winner: The Thirsty Beaver Saloon
Runner Up: Coyote Joe’s
BEST PLACE TO HEAR JAZZ
Winner: Petra’s
Runner Up: Middle C Jazz
BEST RECORDING STUDIO
Winner: Sioux Sioux Studio
Runner Up: Old House Studio
MUSIC BY ARTIST(S)
BEST ALTERNATIVE/PUNK BAND
Winner: Thousand Dollar Movie
Runner Up: Dovecage
BEST BLUES/JAZZ/SOUL BAND
Winner: Patt Mostle
Runner Up: Rich Skeleton
BEST COUNTRY/FOLK BAND
Winner: Sinners & Saints
Runner Up: Jason Moss and The Hosses
BEST DJ
Winner: DJ Smitty
Runner Up: DJ Spider
BEST ELECTRONIC/POP
Winner: Natalie Carr
Runner Up: IIOIOIOII
BEST EXPERIMENTAL MUSICIAN/BAND
Winner: Mercury Dimes
Runner Up: Dovecage
BEST INDIE-ROCK BAND
Winner: Dovecage
Runner Up: Petrov
BEST LIVE PERFORMER(S)
Winner: The Flamingo Revue
Runner Up: Thousand Dollar Movie
BEST LOCAL ALBUM
Winner: Give Me a Year by Thousand Dollar Movie
Runner Up: Better Never by Mercury Dimes
BEST NEW BAND
Winner: Once Below Joy
Runner Up: Distracted Eyes
BEST POTENTIAL BREAKOUT ARTIST
Winner: Dovecage
Runner Up: Forever May Fall
BEST PRODUCER
Winner: Leo Solis
Runner Up: Krystle Baller
BEST R&B SINGER
Winner: Tamra Simone
Runner Up: Wesley Jackson
BEST RAPPER
Winner: Lil Skritt
Runner Up: Phaze Gawd
BEST SOLO PERFORMER
Winner: Lisa De Novo
Runner Up: MonaLisa
BEST SINGER/SONGWRITER
Winner: Lisa De Novo
Runner Up: Kadey Ballard
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