Battle of the Cones, a summer showdown showcasing and celebrating the region’s ice cream stands, will kick off on July 22 immediately following National Ice Cream Day on July 21.

Online voting will begin on July 22 and close on Aug. 18.

The Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism established the social media-based competition in 2022 to promote the region’s ice cream stands and the communities in which they operate.

The Adirondacks boast a number of ice cream stands, many of which have operated for generations.

“This is truly more of a showcase than a competition; we really want the businesses and communities to have fun with it,” Jane Hooper, communications manager at ROOST, said in a statement. “There are so many ice cream stands in the region; this campaign allows us to focus on this traditional summertime activity to provide a unique, creative way to share information about the Adirondacks.”

Battle of the Cones assembles information about 16 of the region’s ice cream stands, entering them into a single-elimination “bracket-style” showcase. Ice cream lovers place online votes for their favorite each week.

One ice cream stand will remain at the end of the five-week showcase; capturing the title and associated bragging rights. Donnelly’s Ice Cream (Saranac Lake) captured the title in 2023 after Windchill Factory’s (Ticonderoga) victory in 2022.

“Battle of the Cones has become a highly-anticipated summer event, promoting local ice cream stands and encouraging fun, lighthearted competition among business owners and communities,” ROOST Regional Manager Kenzie Marine said. “We developed and launched Battle of the Cones to promote a fun summertime activity — everyone has a favorite ice cream stand and flavor.”

“This has provided a fun and interactive way for people to share their experiences, while also encouraging visitors and residents to explore towns throughout the region, using ROOST’s ice cream Wayfinder trail maps,” she added.

The local ice cream stands have embraced the contest, both competing with and encouraging their rivals.

“The competition is delicious,” said Marine. “This campaign is one in which the ice cream stands can take an active role, allowing us to promote all the ice cream stands throughout the region, along with communities throughout the Adirondacks. The ice cream stand owners, managers and staff members are really having a lot of fun with it.”

The Battle of the Cones contest schedule is as follows:

— Round One: Monday, July 22, until Sunday, July 28 at 11:59 p.m.

— Quarter Finals: Monday, July 29, until Sunday, Aug. 4 at 11:59 p.m.

— Semifinals: Monday, Aug. 5, until Sunday, Aug. 11 at 11:59 p.m.

— Finals: Monday, Aug. 12, until Sunday, Aug. 18 at 11:59 p.m.

Wayfinder trails are a series of online maps that people can follow to experience particular activities throughout the Adirondacks. These trails include information about ice cream stands as well as farm experiences, breweries, history, cuisine and family-friendly activities. The trails can be found at adirondackwayfinder.com.