BELLE — Belle is among the communities in the running for Missouri Humanities’ Small Town Showcase, with Sunday, Feb. 1 noted as the last day for public voting.

With the purpose of highlighting the cultural, historical and community stories of Missouri towns with five communities selected each year through a public voting process, Missouri Humanities’ is now in its fifth year and launching its first fully digital initiative.

“Our goal is to spotlight the varied and fascinating stories found in Missouri’s nooks and crannies that contribute to the growth and development of the state culturally, historically and economically,” Program Coordinator Caitlin Yager said. “We aim to highlight the unique histories of our state’s small communities and how they have contributed to Missouri’s cultural heritage. We also try to show how resilient Missourians and Missouri communities are by highlighting stories that reflect the drive and heart of residents who strive to keep their towns relevant and thriving.”

Communities with populations under 10,000 are typically invited to self-nominate, with the public voting to select the five communities that are featured. This year, the population cap was raised to 25,000 in recognition of the nation’s upcoming semi-quincentennial.

In an effort to ensure areas of the state were represented and to encourage a variety of stories, the submission list was narrowed from 30 communities to 16 before being opened to public voting. Yager said they wanted to ensure participation in areas of the state where Missouri Humanities has experienced less engagement.

Communities included this year are Belle, Perryville, Lexington, Weston, Ozark, Blackwater, Waynesville, Jackson, Mineola, Kirksville, Neosho, Savannah, Sikeston, Caledonia and Excelsior Springs.

Winning towns are featured on the Missouri Humanities website with podcasts and short films highlighting their heritage and culture through stories of resilience, revitalization and resurgence.

One past winning community, Norborne, used its video to enter Cenex’s Hometown Throwdown, where it won $100,000 to improve the community and bolster its annual Soybean Festival.

“Nominated communities rely heavily on the participation of local residents in the voting process,” Yager said.

Individuals interested in helping Belle earn a spot in this year’s showcase can vote by visiting www.mohumanities.org/small-town-showcase by 5 p.m. on Feb. 1. The five winning communities will be announced the following day.