The Curbed Cup is coming! Name 2016’s best neighborhood

It's officially December, which can only mean one thing: It's time for the annual Curbed Cup! For the past 12 years, Curbed readers have chosen New York City's best neighborhood in a oft-heated competition that celebrates local pride as much as it does civic developments.

That was especially true in recent years, when residents in City Island (2014) and St. George (2013) helped push voting numbers to all-time highs, all to vault those under-the-radar neighborhoods to the top of the bracket. Last year, however, was different: Gowanus, a Brooklyn neighborhood that’s changed immensely in the past five years, claimed the ultimate prize.

Will 2016 see another underdog clawing its way to the top? There's only one way to find out: We want you to nominate the neighborhoods that could win this oh-so-prestigious honor.

Similar to a March Madness bracket, 16 neighborhoods will face off in this year's Curbed Cub tournament, but which 16 should they be? Drop your nominations in the comments of this post or e-mail them over to us.

And we don't just want neighborhood names; we want to know why this particular neighborhood matters right now. Is it home to a game-changing megaproject? Has its restaurant scene blown up? Is it home to one of the city's best shopping districts? Whatever it is, we want to know what happened in 2016 that sets your favorite neighborhood apart.

Here are the past winners:

2015: Gowanus

2014: City Island

2013: St. George

2012: Hudson Square

2011: Downtown Brooklyn

2010: Harlem's FDB

2009: Williamsburg

2008: Madison Square Park

2007: Long Island City

2006: West Harlem

2005: Prospect Heights

2004: Fort Greene

Which neighborhood will claim the year's ultimate honor? There’s only one way to find out—follow the Curbed Cup, and be sure to vote!