Online voting for the fifth annual Nebraska's Best Burger contest has closed resulting in the following top five nominees (in alphabetical order):

• Cellar Bar & Grill – Kearney

• Goonie's Kozy Keno Bar – Terrytown

• Sozo American Cuisine – Kearney

• Stella's Bar & Grill – Bellevue

• Union Bar – Gering

BEST BURGER: The five finalists for the Nebraska's Best Burger contest will now move on to compete for the top prize during a judging event at the Nebraska State Fair on September 4th. A panel of judges will evaluate each hamburger and score them based on taste, proper cooking temperature and appearance.

Over 6,000 nominations were received through the online voting system on the Nebraska Beef Council website during the first portion of the contest. The five finalists will now move on to compete for the top prize during a judging event at the Nebraska State Fair on September 4th. A panel of judges will evaluate each hamburger and score them based on taste, proper cooking temperature and appearance.

"Each year we enjoy seeing all the nominations for the great hamburgers served across the state," said Adam Wegner, Director of Marketing for the Nebraska Beef Council. "While there are some familiar faces in the finals this year, it's also great to have some new restaurants in the mix. It will be a lot of fun to showcase the contestants during the live judging event at the Nebraska State Fair."

The overall winner will be determined based on the combined scores from the judges. All finalists will be awarded cash prizes with the top burger receiving $1,000 and the award for Nebraska's Best Burger.

For more information on the finalists and their contest hamburgers, visit www.nebeef.org.

Source: Nebraska Beef Council