By GRAHAM BROOKS / Staff Writer

HELENA–The Helena Beautification Board announced earlier this month that they were hosting a 2016 Helena’s Best Decorated Christmas House Contest, and now it’s time for the Helena community to vote for the winners.

Those wishing to enter in the contest had until the Dec. 15 deadline and this year, 25 total entries were received.

This year’s contest was split into two separate categories: The Most Elegant Decorated Home (Martha Stewart Award) and the Most Over-the-Top Decorated Home (Clark Griswold Award). Each category winner will proudly be able to display a yard sign as the winner and receive a city of Helena Christmas ornament.

All the nominations were posted on the Helena Beautification Board Facebook page, Helena Beautiful, on Friday, Dec. 16 along with a map of all locations.

This year’s winners will be selected based on “likes” of each nomination on the Beautification Board’s Facebook page. Voting will take place from Dec. 16 through midnight on Dec. 23. Each category winner will be announced on Dec. 24.

On the Beautification Board’s Facebook page, two separate photo albums can be found containing pictures of the nominees.

The pictures can be found at Facebook.com/pg/HelenaBeautiful/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1171698802944121 and Facebook.com/pg/HelenaBeautiful/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1171690602944941.

A map of where to find each nominee is also available on the Beautification Board’s Facebook page.

The Helena Beautification Board is an appointed board of the Helena City Council. The board believes that people and places are profoundly connected and thriving communities are rooted in individual responsibility and action.

The board hosts a variety of opportunities for the community to come together and serve each year. Events are posted on the Helena Beautiful page and announced via Twitter at @TweetHomeHelena.