Most beautiful Christmas house contest returns in Romania

The most beautifully decorated Christmas house in Romania's Întorsura Buzăului will be awarded next year by Mayor Raul Urdă and the local USR councilors, with the winner being chosen based on public votes.

According to Mayor Raul Urdă, the contest was initiated in 2020 to encourage residents to decorate their homes and help illuminate and beautify the town for the holidays. The winner will receive a plaque and a prize of 1,500 lei, CE Report quotes AGERPRES.

“The ‘Most Beautiful Christmas House’ contest, now in its 6th edition, continues this year with a larger prize of 1,500 lei. Local USR councilors Ovidiu Baniță, Călin Strîmbeanu, Cristi Suciu, Ioan Comaniță, and Raul Urdă happily award this prize. We know everyone decorates their homes for the joy of Christmas, not for the prize, but we want to congratulate those who chose to donate it for a good cause,” Raul Urdă wrote on his social media page, where the contest takes place.

The rule is simple: only privately owned houses in Întorsura Buzăului can enter. Those who wish to participate post a photo in the comments. The house with the most likes will win, and the prize will be awarded on January 15, 2026.

As reported by CE Report, the first edition of the contest, held in 2020, was won by the Stoica family, who donated the 1,000 lei prize to the Întorsura Buzăului Children’s Club. The second edition was won by the Bularca family, and the third by the Mitrofan family, who donated the prize to the Orthodox Women’s Association in the town.

In 2023, the prize was won by the Secelean family, who donated the 1,000 lei to local families whose homes were destroyed by fires. Last year, the contest was won by the Salcă family, who donated the prize to a 5-month-old child with a severe heart malformation requiring surgery.