Following eight straight weeks of profiling top-notch CEOs, the time has officially come for you and other members of The Motley Fool community to decide who is the best CEO in 2012.

The methodology behind the voting is simple. Similar to an NCAA-style basketball bracket, the eight CEOs will be pitted into four match-ups that the community will have one week to vote on. Next week we'll release the results of the previous week's voting, and the remaining four CEOs will again be bracketed for voting. Voting will continue over the next couple of weeks until we have a winner, which will be unveiled at the beginning of December.

As you can see, the ball really is in your court and you do have a say in who merits the coveted title of The Motley Fool's chosen CEO of the year. Below the voting bracket I've included a quick synopsis of the match-up; however, I encourage you to revisit the nomination article for a more complete explanation of why that particular CEO was nominated for this award.

The retailers: Lumber Liquidators (LL) vs. Gap (GAP 1.80%)
Talk about two companies that have had a hard time getting it together the past few years that absolutely excelled in 2012. This match-up pits Lumber Liquidators' Robert Lynch against Gap's Glenn Murphy. Lynch has done a phenomenal job with the hardwood flooring specialist, sending same-store sales up by double digits as shares have nearly tripled since the year began. Murphy, on the other hand, has orchestrated a turnaround that's made Gap relevant again by ordering the right merchandise for its customers and expanding its margins. Which retailer is going in your basket? You tell us! Cast your vote below.

Check back for results
Be sure to check out the other CEO match-ups at the links below, and check back next week when we unveil the results and highlight a new round of voting to whittle the field down even further.