Grand Island, Neb. — It took just five days for the first-ever City of Grand Island Christmas Light Contest to reach its entry limit of homes.
In total, 26 homes will compete for the title of best decorated home this holiday season, and the popularity of the event also increased the total winnings for the first year!
Local resident Josh Smidt, who is also an assistant manager for Hornady Manufacturing, is donating $300 to help expand the winnings to the top-3 homes. Along with $100 donated by the Grand Island Area Economic Development Corporation, the prize winnings will now be split up this way:
1st Place - $200
2nd Place - $150
3rd Place - $50
Both a still map and an interactive map (https://cityofgi.maps.arcgis.com/apps/mapviewer/index.html?webmap=0afdadf95e414805bf3816c6610ee602) of the contestant homes have been made following the closing of the entry window. The participating homes are:
2824 Northwest Avenue
615 West 17th Street
2306 Gateway Avenue
208 East 16th Street
3933 Partridge Circle
216 East 16th Street
312 Redwood Road
303 East 17th Street
1934 Freedom Drive
509 East 15th Street
3145 St. Andrews Circle
591 East Capital Avenue
2018 Pioneer Boulevard
1042 East 19th Street
2604 West Koenig Street
1805 Peach Street
2009 West Koenig Street
1003 East 6th Street
1209 West 1st Street
910 Claussen Avenue
1504 West 4th Street
911 Claussen Avenue
1011 West 9th Street
915 Sun Valley Drive
706 West 11th Street
1103 East Sunset Avenue
“The community response to this contest has far exceeded our expectations,” Grand Island Parks & Recreation Director Todd McCoy said. “We’re excited to host what we hope will become an annual event for Grand Island Parks and Recreation.”
With the entry window now closed, contestant homes will have until Friday, December 13 to put the finishing touches on their displays. From December 14-18, a team of judges will score each home on a total of five categories:
First Impression
Design/Theme
Originality
Creativity
Complexity/Craftsmanship
Judges will narrow the field down to the top-5 homes, and it will then be up to the general public to decide this year’s winners! Videos of the top-5 displays will be posted on the Grand Island Parks and Recreation Facebook page on Wednesday, December 18. The videos that receive the most engagement and interaction will be crowned the winners.