The Kalispell Downtown Association on Monday announced the winners of its bike-rack design competition. The creative, locally inspired bike racks will be the first project for the Kalispell Art on the Streets program.

An evaluation committee chose three artists’ designs from a selection of 10 finalists. The contest received 70 entries overall. The evaluation committee included members of the Kalispell Downtown Association, Kalispell Business Improvement District, city of Kalispell, Flathead Valley Community College Occupational Trades program, the bicycling community and the Kalispell art community.

The winning designs are “Greater Red Indian Paintbrush” by Tessa Heck-George, “Kalispell” by Lovie Englishbee and “Forrest Buddies” by Tanya Lambrecht.

The proposed locations for the racks, respectively, are Main Street next to Colter Coffee, the corner of Main Street and Third Street West ,and the corner of Main Street and First Street East.

Artist Tessa Heck-George previously painted the mural of Jeannette Rankin on the Kalispell Brewing Co. building. Fellow winner Lovie Englishbee is an artist based in Kila, and Tanya Lambrecht is a wildlife artist.

The three winning designs embody the city’s natural beauty and bring added color to the downtown area, the association said in a press release.

In addition to seeing their designs take shape in downtown Kalispell, the winners will each be awarded a $500 honorarium. There will also be a reception honoring the winning artists later this summer. The date of the event is yet to be announced.

The Kalispell Downtown Association and the Kalispell Business Improvement District are providing funding for the project. They also welcome additional sponsorships from the community.

The FVCC Occupational Trades Department will bring the artists’ designs to life. They expect to finalize the locations and install the bike racks this fall.

As the inaugural project for the Kalispell Art on the Streets, “the project embodies KDA’s commitment to improving bike and pedestrian friendliness as well as adding color and vitality to the downtown landscape,” the press release said.

To learn more about the KOAS project and the KDA, visit: www.downtownkalispell.com.

Reporter Bret Anne Serbin may be reached at 758-4459 or bserbin@dailyinterlake.com.

Reporter Bret Anne Serbin may be reached at bserbin@dailyinterlake.com or 758-4459