When: Saturday (12:30-5 pm), September 24, 2011
Where: Governors Island, located in the heart of New York Harbor. You can find more information on Governors Island here. Ferry schedules will be posted later this spring. You may bring your bicycle (bikes are allowed on the ferry and bike parking will be available), and rental bikes are also available. The Vendy Awards location is a 5-minute walk from the ferry. Please note that cars – and pets – are not allowed on Governors Island.
Governors Island is open from 10-7 on September 24th. The Vendys run from 12:30pm to 5:00 p.m., and we encourage you to come early and/or stay late!
The finalists are determined by a public nomination process where people like you tip us off about which vendors you think are Vendy-worthy. You can nominate your favorite vendor here.
Finalists arrive with their carts and prepare their best eats for Vendy attendees and judges. Beer and wine will be plentiful, with tables and chairs for the food-weary. There will be music, performances, and a raffle, culminating in a short ceremony naming the award winners!
Please wear comfortable shoes. Each year we work to shorten the lines, but standing in line is part of the Vendy – and street food – experience. We can’t say if any marriages have come out of people waiting in line together, but we do know that many friendships have been born as people wait for their chance to sample the finalists’ food.
Our judges will award one finalist the Vendy Cup and title of Vendy Award winner. Additionally, Vendy attendees will vote to choose the People’s Taste Award winner from the finalists. Both the Dessert Category and Rookie Vendor of the Year are awarded by audience vote.
Attendees choose our People’s Taste Award winner, chosen from the field of Vendy cup finalists. Audience members will also choose winners in the Dessert and Rookie Vendor of the Year categories.
All the food you can eat, and an open bar of wine, beer and soda. A portion of your entry ticket is a tax-deductible contribution to the Street Vendor Project, whose goal is to make sure that vendors are always a part of our city. The Vendy Awards happens rain or shine and tickets are non-refundable.
Last year, we sold out before the event and there were no tickets available at the door. The event gets bigger and bigger every year, and in order to keep the lines manageable, we need to limit the number of tickets sold – so we recommend buying your ticket now.
The $275 Silver Sponsor package includes 2 tickets to the Vendy Awards, a t-shirt, your name on the invitation, program and website.
The $600 Gold Sponsor package includes 4 tickets to the Vendy Awards, 2 t-shirts, a listing on the invitation, program and website and a photo of you with the Vendy winner.
The $1,250 Platinum Sponsor package includes 8 tickets, 4 t-shirts, a listing on the invitation, program and website, your name announced at the podium and a photo of you and the Vendy winner.
We love kids and kids love street food. Children under 8 don’t need a ticket, and discounted tickets for kids 8-12 are available.
Governors Island is easily accessible by ferry (for details, click here). Bicycles are allowed on the ferry and bike parking will be available on site; rental bikes are also available (link). Please note that cars – and pets – are not allowed on Governors Island.
The Vendy Awards location is a 5-minute walk from the ferry.
Yes! We will have t-shirts on sale at the Vendys. You can buy designs from past years at the 2008 and 2009 Vendys stores.
Please do not call or email the office. To arrange interviews, email Eric Koch at Eric@berlinrosen.com. To request a press pass, email vendypresspass@gmail.com by September 15, including your contact info and name of your publication. Press passes are limited and we will let inform recipients by September 20.
Now in its seventh year, the Vendy Awards has established itself as a classic NYC event that brings out hundreds of food-savvy guests and attracts local, national, and international media attention. We are actively looking for corporate sponsors, big and small, to partner with us to make this event a success. Please contact us at vendyawards@gmail.com or (917) 716-8253.
Volunteer positions for the 2011 Vendy Awards have all been filled, thank you for your interest.
We are always looking for dedicated volunteers to help plan and work the event. Please fill out this form if you are interested. Many 2010 volunteers have already signed up and spaces are limited, so don’t wait until the last minute.
We receive NO government grants and depend on people like you to support our work. We always appreciate financial help, even if you can’t come to the Awards. You can make a tax-deductible contribution to the Street Vendor Project at the www.streetvendor.org.
There are more than 10,000 street vendors in New York City — hot dog vendors, book vendors, street artists, and many others. They’re small businesspeople struggling to make ends meet through long hours under harsh conditions, and most are immigrants and people of color. In recent years, vendors have become victims of New York’s aggressive “quality of life” crackdown. Denied access to vending licenses, they receive $1,000 tickets for minor violations like vending too close to a crosswalk — more than any big business is required to pay for similar violations.
The Street Vendor Project is membership-based with more than 1,200 active vendor members working together to create a vendors’ movement for permanent change. We reach out to vendors and teach them about their legal rights and responsibilities; plan collective actions for getting their voices heard; publish reports and file lawsuits to raise public awareness about vendors and the enormous contribution they make to our city; and finally, we help vendors grow their businesses by linking them with small business training and loans.
The Street Vendor Project is part of the Urban Justice Center, a local non-profit organization that provides legal representation and advocacy to various marginalized groups. The Street Vendor Project is funded through by member dues, a few private foundations, and generous individuals like you. Join our list of supporters.
Greg Takayama did the web work, with art and design done by Jake Hobart.