High school students can win $15K in scholarship money by making their prom outfit out of duct tape
Over the last 24 years, Duck has awarded over half a million dollars in scholarship money
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Prom season is around the corner, and many students are already on the lookout for their special outfit.
For the 24th year, the Duck tape brand announced its Stuck at Prom scholarship contest — where two lucky winners who make their prom attire out of Duck tape can win thousands of dollars.
The brand announced the launch of a scholarship program this year in which students around the U.S. and Canada can compete for a cash prize.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The rules are simple: Create an original prom dress or tux out of Duck brand duct tape, take a high-quality photo and submit the entry online for a chance — this year — to win $15,000.
TEENS MAKE PROM DRESS AND TUX OUT OF DUCT TAPE, WIN $10K IN SCHOLARSHIP PRIZE MONEY
The dress and tux grand prize winners will each receive a $15,000 scholarship prize – an increase from previous years’ prizes – while four runner-ups in each category will receive $1,000 and a Duck brand prize pack worth $100, according to the brand.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Chidinma Onwuliri won the 2022 prom tux competition and made her outfit to bring out her tomboy side. (Chidinma Onwuliri)
This year, the Duck brand also announced new judges’ choice awards, including a Runway Worthy category, a Most Inspiring category and a Trust E.’s Choice category.
The brand said that the Runway Worthy award will be given to the trendiest and most fashion-forward design, while the Most Inspiring award will be given to the dress or tux with the most impressive "why" factor shared through a submitted video or essay.
The Trust E.’s award will be given to the entry that is the most loved by the judges, including the face of the Duck brand, Trust E. Duck.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}PROM DRESS MADE ENTIRELY FROM DUCT TAPE WINS TEEN $10K SCHOLARSHIP
Each of those winners will receive $1,000 for their creative efforts.
Kerry Haugh, director of product marketing at Shurtape Technologies, LLC, the company that markets the Duck brand, told Fox News Digital that the excitement for this year's competition is high.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Grace Vaughn told Fox News Digital it took 143 hours to make the Yin and Yang inspired dress that won her the 2022 best prom dress competition. (Grace Vaughn)
"This year’s Stuck at Prom Scholarship Contest offers the biggest rewards yet," she said.
Haugh added, "With larger cash scholarships and new categories to win in, we’re ensuring talented teens have more opportunities than ever before to be rewarded for their creativity, inspirational stories and fashion-forward style."
High school or home school students will have until June 5th to enter their prom attire for the scholarship before a panel of judges selects a top 10 list of finalists by June 19th.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}TENNESSEE TEENS WHO WERE IN NICU AT SAME TIME AS INFANTS ATTEND PROM TOGETHER YEARS LATER
Then, the public will have a chance to vote on the best creation from June 26th to July 10th before the winners are announced on July 17th.
Last year, two teens from California and Utah won the top prizes for their unique prom creations.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Karla Tejeda won for the best dress category in the Duck tape scholarship 2023 contest — winning $10,000. (Duck brand)
Karla Tejeda, of Los Angeles, California, told Fox News Digital at the time that making her top prom dress winning outfit was "very challenging" – saying she spent 120 hours making the dress out of 14 rolls of Duck tape.
"It was a lot of trial and error, as tape isn’t the easiest thing to work with," she said.
She told Fox News Digital that she was putting her grand prize winnings toward her college tuition.
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Ian Rojas, of Taylorsville, Utah, used 11 roles of Duck tape and spent over 57 hours creating his prom tux, he said.
Ian Rojas created his 2023 prom outfit as a nod to his ancestors from El Salvador. (Duck brand)
He told Fox News Digital last year that his creation was inspired by the Aztecs and Mayans that settled near his homeland of El Salvador in ancient times.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I wanted to fuse the culture of the Mayans and the elegance and formality of prom wear without [it] coming off as a costume," he said.
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Rojas said he was "overwhelmed with joy" when announced as the winner of the best tux grand prize in 2023.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Duck announced the 24th annual Stuck at Prom scholarship contest. Shown here are winners from recent years. (Duck brand/Grace Vaughn)
The Stuck at Prom scholarship contest has given away more than half a million dollars in scholarship money since it began in 2001, according to the Duck brand.
For more information on how to submit a prom dress or tux creation, anyone can visit duckbrand.com.
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