Lexington hosts Freedom Prize voting event for high school students
LEXINGTON, Ky. — For the first time, Lexington will host a Normandy Freedom Prize Voting Event, giving local high school students the opportunity to participate in an international civic engagement program rooted in World War II history.
The voting event will take place from 9:30 a.m. to noon on April 21 at Tates Creek High School. Three Lexington students will be selected to fly to Normandy with World War II veterans for D-Day commemorations and the Freedom Prize award ceremony in June 2026.
The Freedom Prize, known internationally as Prix Liberté Normandie, was established in 2019 by the Region of Normandy to honor values instilled by the June 6, 1944, D-Day landings. The prize encourages young people ages 15-25 from around the world to learn, debate and engage in public life. Each February, an international youth panel selects three prize nominees, with online voting open through the end of April. The 2026 Freedom Prize winner will be announced at a ceremony on June 4.
Lexington is only the second U.S. city to host Freedom Prize programming. Its long-standing Sister Cities relationship with Deauville, France, made it a natural partner. Lexington and Deauville have been Sister Cities since 1957, one of the earliest partnerships following President Dwight D. Eisenhower's establishment of the Sister Cities program in 1956. Both cities share a deep connection to the thoroughbred racing industry.
The connection between Lexington and Normandy extends beyond the Sister Cities program. The 1944 D-Day invasion launched the liberation of Western Europe and has become a shared touchstone of historical memory for both communities. The D-Day Transmitters initiative, created by Sister Cities volunteer Fanny Hubart-Salmon, engages with libraries, museums, educators and think tanks in both Kentucky and Normandy to promote collaborative research projects and educational workshops.
The Normandy Legacy flight, started by Delta Air Lines and the Best Defense Foundation in 2022, lands at the Deauville-Normandie Airport each June. This June, three young Kentuckians will join the program alongside American youth delegates from other U.S. cities.