Press release:
Vans, in partnership with Americans for the Arts, Journeys and truth®, has invited high school art students across the country to take part in the fifth annual Vans Custom Culture art and design competition, to celebrate student creativity and support arts education. With just a couple of weeks to go before the February 14 registration deadline, spots are filling up quickly so don’t delay.
High school art teachers can register their students for the 2014 competition on the Vans Custom Culture website (vans.com/customculture). Students will be tasked with designing four pairs of blank Vans shoes each to depict one of four themes representing the Vans “Off the Wall” lifestyle: action sports, art, music, and local flavor. The first 2,000 U.S.-based public or private high schools (Sorry no home schools or community programs may enter), to register for Vans Custom Culture according to our official rules will receive four pairs of Vans shoes (106, Sk8-Hi, Slip On and Authentic) to customize!
Vans employees will help select the top 50 schools to be semi-finalists. The public will then have the opportunity to vote for their favorites through the Vans Custom Culture website between April 25 and May 12. The top five schools will move on as finalists traveling to New York City to showcase their designs for celebrity judges and the chance to win $50,000 for their school art program. Journeys will donate a $10,000 ‘Local Attitude’ award to the school that creates the most compelling ‘local flavor’ design, and truth® will offer the top 50 semi-finalists a chance to compete for yet another $10,000 award for their school’s arts programs by having students customize a skateboard deck inspired by their reaction to a raw fact about tobacco. Vans will also donate $4,000 to each of the four runner-up schools, and another $50,000 to nonprofit partner Americans for the Arts, in support of their work as the nation’s leading organization for advancing the arts and art education. Last but not least, the winning school will also have one of its designs put into production for sale in select Vans retail stores.
For information and registration guidelines visit the Custom Culture website at vans.com/customculture.
