FASHIONABLE FOOTWEAR
Students in Flagstaff, Ariz., Win Vans Shoe Contest
After combing through scores of entries, voters in the 10th annual Vans Custom Culture art competition selected Flagstaff High School in Arizona as the winner of the shoe-design competition.
The contest began Jan. 2 with high-school students challenged to create extraordinary shoe designs for cash prizes from the Costa Mesa, Calif., action-sports apparel brand.
Alyssa Williams and Nicole Dougherty, students at Flagstaff High, submitted the winning entries. "It is amazing how two of our students, Alyssa and Nicole, took it upon themselves to design and create a submission that has brought the community together to support their designs," Flagstaff High Principal Tony Cullen said.
Every year the entries in the Vans shoe contest are filled with imagination and talent. The winning design comes with a $75,000 prize for the high school's art program. Steven Van Doren, the son of Vans' founder and vice president of events and promotions, surprised the Flagstaff High School winners with a check and a school-wide barbecue to celebrate.
The four finalists in the contest were: Atherton High School from Louisville, Ky.; New Bedford High School from New Bedford, Mass.; Seneca Valley Senior High School from Harmony, Penn.; and Van Wert High School from Van Wert, Ohio. They each receive $10,000 in runner-up prize money.
