Thanks, Guys! [Best of Austin 2008: Best Local Blog, Best Local Entertainment Website]

We're thrilled and so very honored that you've voted us Best of Austin for the third year in a row! And for two equally wonderful categories this year, no less: Best Local Blog and Best Local Entertainment Website. We're also touched that critics chose Austinist's Urban Development Editor, Shawn "Shilli" Shillington, along with Mike "M1EK" Dahmus and Chris "Austin Contrarian" Bradford for the jointly-shared award for "Best Urban-Development Echo Chamber."

"Like a box of candy at our sides," writes the good folks at the Chronicle, "Austinist is easy to reach into and pick out a piece or two ... or three or four. Through part of a chain of 'ists,' Austinist knows Austin, and Austinites love it for its bite-sized news of local events, food, art, and entertainment."

Whether you're here for the first time or you've stuck with this motley crew since Local Music is Sexy ONE, our heartfelt appreciation goes out to each and every one of you for reading our site, for interacting with fellow readers and us through the comments sections, and, above all, for being a part of this ever-evolving and very much organic experiment that we call ist. We do this because we love this city, and we're humbled by the thought that, in some small way, we're able to contribute to its cultural growth. So thanks, Austin! And, as always, if you'd like to share any feedback, ask us a question, or suggest an improvement, we love hearing from you.

The annual Best of Austin issue hits newsstands today, but if you're itching to find out who won, you can also check out the full list online.