Designs for an outdoor amphitheater, an open-air plaza and a walk of fame were announced Tuesday as the top three contenders in the Think Big Sacramento Citizen Architect competition – a contest to design a portion of the planned entertainment sports complex.

The contest, which began in July, has been touted by the Think Big Sacramento committee as a way for the public to “leave its legacy” on the new complex, according to a press release.

Ideas submitted by Troy Bedal, a sporting goods store manager from Roseville, Shaun Baland, a state worker from Lincoln, and Gary Bladen, a recent UC Davis graduate working on sustainable development, were chosen as the top three out of more than 20 submissions.

Think Big Sacramento Project Manager Jeremiah Jackson said the design competition was intended to give members of the public – people who aren’t necessarily artists, architects or actual designers – a chance to put a personal stamp on the arena project.

“It’s all about concepts and ideas,” Jackson said. “We wanted (a design) that could really become an iconic symbol for community engagement.”

When the contest began, Mayor Kevin Johnson said, he hoped it would encourage someone from the public to create a “symbol of Sacramento and the surrounding region” and to build on the “grassroots support that has kept the Kings in Sacramento.”

A panel of celebrity judges, including local artist David Garibaldi and mixed martial artist Urijah Faber, narrowed down entries to the three finalists. The final winner will be selected by members of the public who vote in an online poll on the project’s website.

“To have a new project like this where the fans get to have a hand in it is just awesome,” Faber said Tuesday. “It’s great to give people an opportunity to be involved.”

Garibaldi congratulated the finalists on using a “creative process” to understand that developing their ideas was “more than just having an idea – it’s the inspiration behind it, too.”

According to a press release, entries were judged on feasibility and viability, design and creativity, and regional pride and sustainability.

Baland’s idea of a small outdoor amphitheater draws on inspiration from Cesar Chavez Park as a place for a variety of pre- and post-event activities.

“I envision a place for fans to gather, have a good time and have free entertainment and converse with each other before big events,” Baland said.

Bedal designed a walkway of bricks – a “walk of fame,” he called it – as a simple yet cost-effective idea.

The pathway would extend from the curb at the edge of the street to the front doors of the arena. Walls along the side of the pathway would showcase busts of local heroes and sports figures.

“Each brick will be personalized for everyone (who supported) the idea of a new arena,” Bedal said.

Bladen, a self-described “lifelong Kings fan,” submitted a plan for an environmentally friendly, open-air plaza. It would feature a terraced garden and lights powered by rooftop solar panels.

“It’s a celebration of what I think are the region’s main attributes: land, sun, water and a unique ecology,” Bladen said.

“People are our biggest commodity,” Think Big committee member Greg Hayes said Tuesday. “We want this arena to be about the people of this region.”

Hayes said online voting began Wednesday, and polls will remain open until the first week in November.

See the finalists’ designs and cast your vote HERE.

Melissa Corker is a Staff Reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCorker.