Almost 100 people attended a special event spotlighting area businesses, people and places as Effingham Living announced the winners of its first Most Fabulous contest Tuesday evening at the Mars Theatre in Springfield.

“We’re appreciative of the support of our readers and advertisers. And we hope they enjoy our Most Fabulous as much as we’ve enjoyed putting this together,” said Joe McGlamery, regional vice president of Morris Multimedia and interim publisher of the Effingham Herald. “We look forward to making this a regular part of Effingham County’s best magazine.”

In the spring edition of the magazine, Effingham Living launched an 82-category survey contest online, using print ballots in Effingham Living and Effingham Herald. The broad range of categories covered everything from “Most Fabulous Woman” to “Most Fabulous Dirt Road.”

“The response we received from this community was so much more than we expected,” said editor Casey Stoddard. “We received hundreds of ballots. The folks who were given awards tonight truly deserve them.”

During the gala, guests enjoyed red-carpet treatment with professional photography, light hors d’oeuvres and a brief ceremony. Photos from the event can be found on the magazine’s Facebook page. Attendees are encouraged to share their photos by tagging Effingham Living on Facebook or @EffinghamLiving on Twitter.

The magazine also used the event to launch its summer edition which features a “Fabu-list” of winners and Effingham County School System’s special Insight section. Subscribers can find a copy inside today’s paper. More copies can be found in stands around town and at the Effingham Herald office.