Frontman for the indie band fun. Nate Ruess occupies Best Of after a recent concert at Northern Lights in Clifton Park. (Nick Tirado)

Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/entertainment/article/Take-a-snap-shot-at-winning-3519807.php

Eve Wilcox, 12, of Wilton, expresses what she thinks is the best thing in the Capital Region — her dog.

Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/entertainment/article/Take-a-snap-shot-at-winning-3519807.php

Occupy Best Of and win

The Occupy Wall Street movement’s ability give voice to everyday people strikes a chord with news organization that strive to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.

In that spirit, the Times Union has adopted the “Occupy” theme for this year’s Best of the Capital Region. Call it “Occupy Best Of,” or for the Twitter-savvy #occupybestof.

So even though the annual readers poll is now closed, you have another way you can occupy the Best of the Capital Region. Here’s what you do:

Go someplace in the Capital Region and take a photo of yourself (or of a friend or loved one) holding up a sign (either typed or handwritten, as long as it is legible) that states what the place is and what it is the best of in the Capital Region. Then send the photo in. Every participant who sends a usable, original image (meaning the photo and the words in the photo are readable and appropriate for a family newspaper) will be entered into a drawing for a $50 American Express gift card. So what kind of photos should you send in? Maybe an example will help. Let’s say you are a fan of the Troy Chromatics Concert Series at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall.

A. First, make a sign that says something like, “The Troy Chromatics Concert Series at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall is the best way to experience a variety of classical music by musicians from around the world in the Capital Region.” And, for the Twitter-savvy digerati, your sign must include the following: #occupybestof

B. Second, go to the music hall, stand outside it, hold up your sign and have your picture taken.

C. Third, write up the text of your entry, which must include your name, address and phone number, and a description of your photo.

D. Fourth, send in your photo and your text to the Times Union by email with the text in the body of the email and with the image attached as a jpeg (a resolution of 300 dpi is preferred, but keep the file size between about 1 and 2 megabytes) to bestof@timesunion.com. Or you can send your text and photo (printed on photo paper) by postal mail to Occupy Best Of, Features Department, Times Union, Box 15000, 1 News Plaza, Albany, NY 12212.

E. Fifth, keep in mind these rules:

I. Only one entry per person. Multiple entries (either the same person entering more than one, or the same image submitted by multiple people) will result in disqualification.

II. Entries must be received by 5 p.m. Monday, May 21.

III. All entries may appear online and in print. Submissions will not be returned.