Some talented high school students spent almost three thousand collective hours (125 days) and used nearly one thousand rolls of Duck Tape® to make one-of-a-kind prom fashions in their pursuit of the Grand Prize in this year’s Duck® brand Stuck at Prom® Scholarship Contest.
The public has voted, and the creative students taking home this year’s top prizes have been named: The winners are Emily O’Gara and Ethan Weber of Lincoln, NE, each earning $10,000 in scholarship dollars in the Couples Category; and Allison Pollman of Elgin, OK, earning $1,000 in the Singles Category.
“The students entering the contest make a mark on us every year, and our judges always do a superb job selecting the finalists — which is no small task considering the high-caliber submissions we receive,” said Ashley Luke, category manager at ShurTech Brands, LLC, the company that markets the Duck® brand. “What makes the final round of voting so exciting is that we leave it up to the public to choose their favorites. Entrants are encouraged to promote their designs and rally a supportive fan base. From there, the votes just ‘roll’ in!”
Emily and Ethan drew in voters with their elaborate floral and geometric design inspired by their prom theme, Enchanted Gardens. The A-line dress, which was covered in a hexagon grid of black and white Duck Tape®, was enhanced by the contrast of a beautiful, colorful field of flowers sprouting from the hem of the floor-length gown. The classic tuxedo complemented the look complete with hexagon grid lapels, a gold vest, and red bow tie. The entire ensemble took 20 rolls of Duck Tape® and 200 hours to make.
Allison made a lace overskirt the highlight of her prom dress. Utilizing purple Duck Tape® as the base for her gown, the skirt featured an intricate lace detail designed with white and lilac Duck Tape®. She used both colors to create an ombré effect, blending one hue seamlessly into the other. She accented the dress with subtle “gems” of Glitter Duck Tape® for added sparkle. Allison used 13 rolls of Duck Tape® and spent 79 hours on her winning entry.
In the 17 years Duck® brand has hosted the Stuck at Prom® Scholarship Contest, thousands of students in the U.S. and Canada have created amazing and innovative prom outfits from Duck Tape®. To date, including this year’s prize total, this distinctive scholarship contest has awarded more than half a million dollars to high school students to support their education and offset rising tuition costs. As in previous years, judges rated prom dresses, accessories, and tuxes based on workmanship, originality, use of colors, accessories, and use of Duck Tape®. The Top 10 couples and top 5 singles entrants then entered an online voting period where their designs were voted on by the public.
Coming in Second Place, taking home $5,000 each, are Megan-Marie Lemieux and Brandon McNeil of Edmundston, New Brunswick, Canada. Third Place winners, Rozlin Opolka and Conner Hawry of Gregory, MI will receive $3,000 each in scholarships. Each of the participants in the remaining seven runner-up couples will receive $1,000.
Visit StuckAtProm.com to see the full 2017 Stuck at Prom® Scholarship Contest gallery or to learn more about the contest and this year’s winners.