& The American Marketing Association (AMA) Houston Marketer of the Year awards recognize the best, from automotive sales to fine arts.

& The 34-category, 145-nominee list includes nationally-renowned companies, organizations and institutions — M. D. Anderson, the Houston Texans and Haliburton — as well as small ones, like the breakfast klub restaurant.

& Local eatery Jenni's Noodle House is recognized alongside Denver, Colo.-based burrito manufacturer, Chipotle. All four of our professional sports teams are represented. Downtown gem, Discovery Green, and suburban pride, the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, battle it out in the category for Venues and Arenas.   

& Last year, CultureMap took home the prize for the Best Marketer in the Media: Print category. This time, your favorite source for local news is a contender in the Services: Web/Internet category, along with Captavi, ContentActive LLC, Schipul, Server Side Design and Upstream Marketing.

& "The AMA Houston Chapter is among one of the strongest in the country, and is recognized year after year for the high level of achievement not only by its members, but by the chapter itself," said Carey Kirkpatrick, CultureMap's director of marketing.

& "It's first an honor to be recognized by such an esteemed group of peers in the marketing community, but it's also an honor to have so many of our community partners recognized as well — a true testament to the work we're doing at CultureMap, to help shine a light on all of the unique and exciting elements of the city that make Houston such a vibrant community."

& In its two short years of existence, CultureMap has partnered with the Houston Zoo, Lawndale Art Center, Houston Ballet, Houston Grand Opera, Momentum Audi, Susanne M. Glasscock School of Continuing Studies at Rice University, Texas Oncology, Hotel Granduca, Blue Sky Marketing, Houston Food Bank, Houston Dynamo, Houston Rockets, Houston Texans, Discovery Green and the Pavilion. 

& AMA members can vote online here through Tuesday at 5 p.m. The overall winner of the coveted 2011 Marketer of the Year will be announced on March 12, during a reception and awards ceremony at the Alley Theatre. 

& Past overall winners include the University of Houston Athletic Department (2010), Blinds.com (2009), Kelsey-Seybold Clinic (2008), the Houston Zoo (2007), Weatherford International (2006) and the Houston Symphony (2005).