ReImagine Lexington: An Art and Design Competition
ReImagine Lexington is back — and this time, it’s open to the public.
Reimagine Lexington is an art and design competition hosted by Fayette Alliance, a Lexington-based nonprofit dedicated to achieving smart, sustainable, and equitable growth through advocacy, education and research.
The contest asks Lexingtonians to think critically about the future of growth and development in Lexington by reimagining urban spaces throughout the city.
- In 2025, the competition was open only to students at the University of Kentucky.
Utilizing skills in design, art, and urban planning, students reimagined dozens of vacant spaces across Lexington, KY — submitting drawings and renderings for new parks, mixed-use developments, multi-family housing, urban community spaces, and more.
- Now, in 2026, Fayette Alliance is opening up the contest to the entire community and offering a $500 cash prize to the overall winner.
At Fayette Alliance, we believe the question isn’t if we grow, it’s how.
Deciding exactly how and where we want our city to grow is critical to creating more diverse housing options within walkable, liveable communities.
- Important: Research and data tell us that the land inside Lexington-Fayette County’s Urban Service Boundary (USB) can accommodate more than 20 years of future housing and job growth.
- However: To best utilize the land available for development inside the USB, and to build a Lexington that houses, employs, and provides for all our neighbors — we’ll need creativity.
Reimagine Lexington is your opportunity to participate in shaping our city’s future. We are beyond excited to see your artwork, share it, and build a joyful community together.
How to Participate
Step 1: Find a Space
Find a vacant or undeveloped plot of land in your neighborhood that you think could be better utilized to benefit the community. This can be anywhere in Lexington, as long as it falls inside the Urban Service Boundary.
Do not render a new structure in the place of an existing home or business — stick to greenfields, brownfields, or surface parking lots.
- Important: To access free open source images of vacant land in Lexington you may use for your design, email Ethan Wallace, ethan@fayettealliance.com.
- Additionally: We strongly encourage you to consider spaces inside Fayette Alliance’s proposed infill and redevelopment boundary. This zone, shown in the map below, indicates where we believe Lexington should prioritize building new housing and commercial projects.
Step 2: Reimagine
Creativity and community stewardship — that’s what you should think about as you craft your design.
If the surrounding neighborhood lacks retail space (think local coffee shops or boutiques), create a design to fulfill that need. In need of a park closer to your home? Design one that could bring joy and respite to you and your neighbors for decades to come.
- Use any medium you like — we’ll accept paintings, 3-D dioramas, digital art, even poetry and prose. Feel free to mix media and collaborate with other artists as you see fit.
Creativity is key, but ground your work in the need for communal spaces and amenities.
Step 3: Explain Your Work
Why is your imagined space important? We want to know!
Alongside your submission, please include a one-page explanation of your design — how it serves the community, and who it would benefit most. This information will be displayed alongside your submission. Please keep this part brief and direct.
Step 4: Submit Your Work
Submit your work by emailing your submission to Fayette Alliance’s Education and Community Engagement Manager, Ethan Wallace, at ethan@fayettealliance.com. In the subject line of your submission email, write — “ReImagine Lex Submission, [Last Name, First Name].”
Please submit your original design and explanation as separate files. Your original design submission should fit into a 1920×1080 resolution and be in .JPEG format for display purposes. Be sure to include the specific location you’ve chosen and the name you’d like to appear alongside your artwork.
- Example: You can view the 2025 student submissions by clicking the button below.
Step 5: Share Your Work and Vote
ReImagine Lexington is accepting submissions starting on Tuesday, April 7. The contest will close on Friday, June 26.
- After the submissions window closes, all submitted pieces will be publicly displayed on the Fayette Alliance website. Members of the public can vote, once per person, for their favorites. The piece receiving the most votes will be awarded a $500 prize.
Voting will begin on July 1 and end on July 17.
Following the voting period, a public gallery reception will be held for all artists to display their work and meet community members. More details about the reception are to follow.
- Remember: This contest isn’t about technical skill, it’s about your creative vision for Lexington.
- Bonus: In August, Fayette Alliance will have a booth adjacent to the Woodland Art Fair. Any participating artists may make prints of their designs that we will sell at the fair. You will receive 100% of the profits made from your artwork. You are responsible for making your own prints.
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, email ethan@fayettealliance.com.
Rules and Procedures
- You may submit multiple images, but we will only be able to display one on the website. If you submit more than one image, please note which you would prefer to be displayed. If that information is not included, we will pick for you. To have your other images seen by the public, include them in your explanation page.
- Use of AI generated images or language is not permitted. We want to see your personal vision for Lexington. Any submissions created with AI assistance will be disqualified.
- If you submit an audio or video file, please upload it to Youtube, Vimeo, or some other publicly accessible video sharing site and submit a link.
- Your written explanation may not exceed one page, excluding any additional images you’d like to include.
- By participating in this art contest, and by voting, you agree to periodic communication from Fayette Alliance relating to this art contest and other events.
FAQs
What kinds of media are allowed?
Any media that can easily be displayed at a gallery are permitted. Don’t feel restricted to two-dimensional, architectural style design pieces. If you feel your vision is better represented by three-dimensional sculpture, impressionistic painting, even poetry, then go for it!
Does my piece have to be centered in my own neighborhood?
Not necessarily. We’d love to see artwork focused in your neighborhood, but if there’s not any accessible space to reimagine or you’d prefer to pick a spot in a different neighborhood, that is allowed.
What if I don’t have a good camera to take a picture of an empty plot of land?
Available on Fayette Alliance’s website are several stock images we took of vacant or undeveloped plots in Lexington you may use for your designs if you’d like. But you don’t have to use a picture, you can render the surrounding landscape in your artwork if you’d like or submit just your proposed reimagining of the land without the surrounding landscape, so long as you provide a corresponding location to which we can refer.
Can I reimagine any piece of land?
No. Stick to vacant or undeveloped land only. To see more about what it means for land to be undeveloped, see our website. Please don’t reimagine land with a standing primary use, like a home or a business.
Does my art have to be in a gallery?
No, if you’d prefer your art not to be shown publicly, we will not publish it.
Is there anything I can’t imagine on the vacant land?
Try to keep your artwork rooted in filling a need in your community, but otherwise let your creativity run loose. This contest is about sharing the community’s vision for Lexington, if your vision is expressive or fantastical, we want to see it!
How do I sell my artwork at the Woodland Art Fair?
If you’d like to sell your submission at the Woodland Art Fair, reach out to Ethan Wallace at ethan@fayettealliance.com. We’ll have a booth on High St, just outside the fair. You’ll be responsible for providing your own prints, but we’ll give you 100% of the profit. We recommend printing 10-15 high quality copies of your artwork and including a small sign with your name and any other personal information you’d like to share.
Resources
Fayette Alliance’s ResearchMore details on vacant and undeveloped land
Vishaan Chakrabarti’s 2025 Keynote Presentation
2025 Student Submissions
The 2025 ReImagine Lexington art and design competition has ended — thank you to all those who participated.
To view all of the ReImagine Lexington submissions, click the button below.