ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — The 15th annual contest invites Asheville residents to show off innovative furniture, dwellings and art projects made of used building materials. Winners in all three categories, voted on by the public, will receive a $200 Habitat for Humanity ReStore gift card.
The entry period for the contest began on Aug. 1, 2026, and will run until midnight on Sept. 30. Public voting will begin on Oct. 1 and close Oct. 31. Following the public voting period, three Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity judges will select a Best in Show winner, who will receive a $500 ReStore gift card.
“This is a great opportunity for creative types to demonstrate their re-use talent and inspire others,” Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity wrote in a press release.
The nonprofit provided the following prompts for submissions on the contest website:
Furniture & Home Decor
“Furniture & Home Decor is the category for projects that refit, repurpose or refinish objects for a specific use. This could include redoing a kitchen island with recycled butcher block, turning scrap metal into a functioning lamp or building a changing table from recycled wood. Entries into this category are not required to be functional, but should be distinct from artwork.”
Dwelling
“Plant, animal and human living spaces: Dwelling is the category for your greenhouse built from recycled materials, your labor-of-love chicken coop, your adventure-ready van or your whole-room renovation. Entries into this category should showcase the creation or transformation of a space, whether it’s as small as a shoe-box planter or as large as your barn.”
Art
“It’s all in the name: Art is the category for your up-cycled or recycled creations made for their aesthetic or conceptual properties. Shadow box dioramas, wood-burned signs, paintings and sculptures alike fall under the category of Art. Show us your creativity, ingenuity and taste with a sustainable twist!”
Best in Show
The winner of Best in Show will be selected based on the quality of the design, the replicability of the concept, the clarity of the description and the quality of the photos.
“The ReStore is a treasure trove for artists, craftspeople and resourceful re-users of reclaimed materials,” said Tim Bromley, manager of the Asheville ReStore. “What better way to celebrate that than to invite them to share their work with us and the community? The ReUse Contest blends some of our favorite parts of Asheville and the ReStore, and we’re always excited to see what comes out of it.”
Winners will be announced on the Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity website and social media pages, and featured in the Asheville ReStore.
For more information about the contest, visit www.ashevillehabitat.org/restore/reuse-contest.