News

Give it up for the winners of New York’s Time In Awards

The city has voted for its favorite lockdown legends—here's who won!

Will Gleason
Written by
Will Gleason
Content Director, The Americas
Time In Awards
Image: Time Out
Advertising

As New York continues to move through its phased reopening and Time In flips back to Time Out, we're taking a moment to look back and thank the people who made our homebound lives bearable over the past three months. Hundreds of New Yorkers voted in the Time In Awards and celebrated local heroes in categories like The New Look Award for best restaurant reinvention, The Virtual Stage Award for best live play reading and The Big Thanks Award for best show of community support.

We've tallied the votes and determined the winners—you can read all about them below. A socially distanced cheers is in order for all of our amazing nominees, from the chefs and bartenders to the Broadway stars and adorable penguins. We'll never forget the fact that you went the extra mile during an incredibly uncertain time. And now, without further ado, meet the winners of the Time In Awards.

baby penguin
Photograph: Courtesy Julie Larsen Maher / Bronx Zoo

Homebound Stars

The Quarantine Cultural Vanguard Award for best overall trend: Sourdough
The omnipresent baking craze really rose to the occasion.
Nominees: QuarBoardsVirtual birthdaysAnimal CrossingQuaranCutsHousepartyBoard games 

The Almost Like You’re Not Inside Award for best virtual nature experience: The Bronx Zoo and New York Aquarium’s daily livestreams
Turns out, virtual penguins make for surprisingly lovely co-workers!
Nominees: The New York Botanical Garden’s tulip and orchid toursThe Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s cherry blossom walkthroughNYC Parks’ Parks@Home programWoodstock Farm Sanctuary’s animal storytimeGovernors Island at Home

The Quar Wellness Award for best health offering: Radio City Rockettes’ free dance classes 
We may have thrown our backs out while high-kicking, but we sure had a great time doing it.
Nominees: Free Headspace meditation sessions for New Yorkers
The YMCA’s YMCA@Home program305Fitness’ live cardio dance partiesTiler Peck’s #turnitoutwithtiler 

The Get Lit at Home Award for favorite online party: Marie’s Crisis virtual piano bar
Belting out show tunes at home wasn't as great as in a crowded West Village basement bar, but it came close. 
Nominees: Virtually NowadaysThe Lot RadioClub QHouse of Yes’s digital dance partiesMarissa Goldman’s Google Doc comedy show

drag queens
Photograph: Courtesy of Fresco's Cantina

Food & Drink Heroes

The New Look Award for best restaurant reinvention: Junzi Kitchen bringing back Chinese takeout with a twist
The new American-Chinese delivery concept really hit the spot.
Nominees: 
Eleven Madison Park’s transformation into a commissaryMina’s at Moma PS1’s new cooking seriesThe Clam turning into a community fish marketGhetto Gastro's partnership with La Morada

The Order Now Award for best new takeout and delivery option: Fresco’s Cantina’s drag queen delivery service
Not only did these ladies deliver our meals, they did it in heels!
Nominees: 
Tailfeather’s cookie and natural wine deliverySix Harbors Brewing Company’s beer-delivery dogsMiguel Gonzalez’s ripe avocado delivery serviceBlue Hill’s exclusive produce boxes 

The Table Flip Award for best culinary business innovation: Woodspoon's home-cooked meals from out-of-work chefs
This brilliant new app let us order amazing home-cooked meals from out-of-work chefs just when we couldn't bring ourselves to cook another meal in our tiny apartment kitchen.
Nominees: Omsom’s new Southeast Asian cooking kitsTilit’s pivot from chef aprons to face coveringsStuart Cinema & Café’s movie popcorn delivery serviceNorwich Meadow Farm’s farm-to-apartment produce delivery 

The Kiddie Chef Award for favorite virtual kids cooking series: Freshmade NYC 
This family-friendly virtual cooking series really took the cake!
Nominees: Christina Tosi’s virtual baking clubDynamite Shop’s Dynamite Dinner ClubTasteBuds KitchenAllergic to Salad

alvin ailey
Photograph: Christopher Duggan / Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

Arts & Entertainment Saviors

The Home Exhibition Award for most innovative digital museum program: The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s digital programming
The breadth of digital offerings from the iconic museum over the last few months just couldn't be beat.
Nominees: 
The Museum of Modern Art’s online art coursesThe Whitney Museum’s live art-making workshopsThe New Museum’s “First Look: New Art Online”The Guggenheim’s collection of free digitized art books

The Digital Babysitter Award for best kid-friendly virtual offering: The Lion King Experience: At Home
It's a classic for a reason! This free theater series offered a fascinating look behind-the-scenes of the long-running Broadway show.
Nominees: The Children’s Museum of the Art’s CMA Live!, The Children’s Museum of Manhattan’s CMOM at HomeThe American Museum of Natural History’s OLogyLincoln Center’s #ConcertsforKids 

The Archive Treasure Award for best archival performance streaming series: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s Ailey All Access
The opportunity to watch full-length performances by the legendary dance troupe was an uplifting escape when we needed it most.
Nominees: The Shows Must Go On!HERE Arts Center’s HERE@HomeThe Metropolitan Opera’s nightly Met Opera streamThe National Theatre’s National Theatre at Home series

The Virtual Stage Award for best live play reading: Buyer & Cellar, Pride Plays and Broadway.com
The hilarious comedy starring Michael Urie, and offering a (fictional) peek into the private life of Barbra Streisand took the top spot of the entries in this newly-emerging medium.
Nominees: Molly Sweeney, Irish Repertory Theatre, The Oedipus Project, Theater of War Productions, The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife, Plays in the House, What Do We Need to Talk About?, Public Theater

The Cyber Showtune Award for best digital performance of a musical-theater song: “Alexander Hamilton” by the original cast of Hamilton
This rendition managed to tide us over until we were finally able to watch the full-length recording on Disney+ last weekend.
Nominees: “Across the Way” by Jake Gyllenhaal, “The Ballad of Czolgosz” by Ethan Slater and friends, “Tomorrow” by Andrea McArdle and friends“You Can’t Stop the Beat” by past cast members of Hairspray

alvin ailey
Photograph: Courtesy Rashid Johnson / Hauser & Wirth New York

Community Champions

The Big Thanks Award for best show of community support: The 7pm citywide clap
It was one of the most internationally recognizable aspects of quarantine for a reason.
Nominees: The citywide singalongThe #HeroesMovingHeroes campaignNYC landmarks lighting up blueThe Bryant Park heart

The Homework Helper Award for best educational resource: The New York Public Library’s free online tutoring 
The library came to the rescue once again!
Nominees: WNET’s “Let’s Learn NYC”ABC MouseKhan AcademyLearn from Home: Scholastic  

The Quarantine Creativity Award for best work of lockdown-inspired art: Rashid Johnson's paintings
The artist's timely, abstract works managed to capture the underlying feeling during these anxious times.
Nominees: Stephen Lovekin’s “Words at the Window” photo seriesSara Erenthal’s street artMarj Kleinman’s Stoop StoriesArielle Royston’s drawings

The Helping Hand Award for best community initiative: The Brooklyn Museum’s free food distribution service
The Kings County cultural institution reimagined what a museum could be.
Nominees: Dennin Winser's free hand-painted signs for Black-owned businessesGertie’s restaurant workers relief programPiccoli NY’s Robin Hood NYC fundraiserFronlinesweetsupport.org and Dough’s free treats for healthcare workers

Most popular on Time Out

- Everything you need to know about Phase 4 reopening plans in NYC
- Eight tips for dining outside right now at NYC restaurants
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art has an official reopening date
- This massive $2 billion cultural hub could be coming to Astoria
- These major NYC art galleries are reopening with new exhibits this month

Popular on Time Out

    You may also like
    You may also like
    Advertising