I voted Reader's Choice because it seemed a lot easier doing it strictly by voting last year. I was one of the judges the two years we did it that way and saw not only how time-consuming a process it was, but also how tough it was for you guys to keep reliable judges. We had a few people bail, which made more work for you, trying to pick up their slack at the last minute.
I think voting, as long as you have a cheat-proof poll like you did last year, is the way to go. It's quick, it's easy, it's fair, as long as people can only vote once, and it reflects the readers' opinions on what is the best in each category.