UPPER AUSTRIA / LINZ. It is defeated, the election of the most popular municipality in Upper Austria, at Tips-Sympathicus 2021. The municipalities of Neustift im Mühlkreis (Rohrbach district), Pichl bei Wels and Grünburg (Kirchdorf district) won the most votes in their categories. A total of 726,000 votes were cast. Tips invited – in compliance with the valid Covid measures – to the award ceremony in the Promenaden Galleries in Linz.
The award ceremony could finally take place again in front of an audience, the district winners election in April had to take place as an online event without guests. The evening was accordingly entertaining, with ORF Upper Austria presenter Dennis Bankowsky, who skipped the European Championship game between Croatia and Spain – led through the award ceremony.
Over 726,000 votes cast
Tips was looking for the most likeable municipality – in three categories: up to 1,500 residents, from 1,501 to 3,000 residents and over 3,000 residents. 85 municipalities were registered for the district election. The district winners per resident category were honored on April 12 at the district award ceremony and ran for the state election. Despite Corona, lockdowns and restrictions, there was again a lot of snipping and voting for the favorite community using the original ballot and online voting. A total of 726,000 votes were cast in this year’s Sympathicus election.
Tips managing director and editor-in-chief Josef Gruber was enthusiastic about the great participation: “The campaign simply shows how important togetherness is and how everyone is happy to finally get back together. And that is also the core theme of the sympathetic nervous system: togetherness. A high number of votes is a confirmation that the path is right. In the spring we had not yet expected this number, which confirms that everyone is full of energy again. “
Neustift, Pichl and Grünburg at the top
The tension was written on the faces of the guests at the state finals. Because who is actually at the top of the podium was only revealed at the award ceremony.
The victory in the category up to 1,500 inhabitants went to the community Neustift im Mühlkreis (district Rohrbach) with a total of 79,457 votes, ahead of the second-placed community Vichtenstein (district Schärding) with 75,757 votes. Third place went to the community of Haibach in the Mühlkreis (Urfahr-Umgebung district) with 22,216 votes.
In the category of 1,501 to 3,000 inhabitants, the Tips readers snipped and voted most diligently for Pichl near Wels – the community was able to get a total of 86,387 votes. With the municipality of Zell an der Pram, the district of Schärding also came second in this category – with 48,652 votes. Third place went to the municipality of Adlwang in the Steyr-Land district – with 44,879 votes.
Among the participating municipalities with more than 3,000 inhabitants, Grünburg in the Kirchdorf district was just ahead of the game, 86,518 voted for Grünburg. The town of Marchtrenk (Wels-Land) won 82,355 votes, while the market town of Waizenkirchen (Grieskirchen district) took third place with 20,832 votes.
Great prices
The respective category winners of the national elections will be rewarded with a cash prize of 2,000 euros and an ice cream afternoon with Buburuza ice cream. The runners-up in each category will each receive 1,000 euros and one year of unlimited employee search on regionaljobs.at. The third-place winners will receive EUR 500 and a EUR 500 voucher to celebrate their success at the Zipfer host in the area, sponsored by the Brau Union as a long-term partner of the Tips-Sympathicus. “Beer is a social kit, a social binder, and we had to hold out for so long. So it is very important that you can now enjoy a beer together again in comfort. That that in oö. Communities working very well is a fact. But we also see how little it works in communities where there may no longer be a restaurant, how social interaction there suffers, ”said Christian Payrhuber, regional sales director Brau Union at the award ceremony.
Stelzer and Gerstorfer congratulated
Provincial Governor Thomas Stelzer and District Councilor Birgit Gerstorfer were there live at the state award ceremony in the Promenaden Galleries. “It is really wonderful that we can finally meet again and look in the eye because we are gradually overcoming the crisis. There has been a lot of discussion about who actually regulates overcoming. Austria is a federal state that the federal states take over, but to be completely honest, the building cell is actually called a municipality. There things happen on the spot and are taken in hand, and in this respect this sympathetic choice hits the center. The fact that so many have voted is a wonderful thank you that shows what churches are doing. This is where you are at home, where quality of life is established and where many are willing to contribute themselves, ”said the governor.
For Birgit Gerstorfer it is also clear: “The community is simply the nucleus of the community, where people cultivate togetherness, where people meet in clubs, in sports across all generations, and that is evident in such an action. The focus here is on togetherness and in Corona times it was probably also very important that there was a good reason to exchange ideas and fight for a common goal. “
ORF Upper Austria, Spar and BrauUnion as loyal partners of the Sympathicus
In addition to the Brau Union, the partners of the Tips-Symptathicus are ORF Upper Austria and Spar. “Spar und Tips has been working together for a long time and has been very good for decades. As a family business, Spar is represented in almost every municipality in Austria and many may not know it, but many of our employees not only work in the municipality, they also live there and take an active part in community life, ”says Spar Marketing Manager Sophie Jetschgo.
ORF Upper Austria program director Michael Trnka is “proud to have been a partner of this campaign for many years and 726,000 ballots are a great thing.” Despite Corona, tips have found a way to carry out the sympathetic nervous system. “
Philix brought mood to the audience
Musically, the Singer-Songwriter Philix from Sarleinsbach in the Mühlviertel for a good atmosphere, with his own Austropop songs, interpretations of pop and rock classics and extraordinary vocal skills.
Check out the awards ceremony
If you didn’t have the chance to be there live, you can check out the award ceremony online at Tips facebook page.
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