Designs submitted to Vans Custom Culture art competition. Image via custom-culture.vans.com
Thousands Compete in Vans Global Custom Culture Contest
It might as well be rite of passage. Legions of kids have doodled and made sketches on their Vans shoes during their school days and teen years. This year, apparel and footwear brand Vans plans to make this pastime a possibly lucrative activity.
The Costa Mesa, Calif.-headquartered Vans is producing its inaugural Vans Global Custom Culture contest. More than 100,000 artists submitted designs, and three of them will win a grand prize of $25,000 each, as well as trip to Vans headquarters to meet the brand's footwear designers. Another part of the grand prize offering deserves a special drumroll. The winners will have their designs produced and sold by Vans.
Designs are judged by a public vote. Until Oct. 13, people can vote on a number of submissions at the website custom-culture.vans.com . A finals round for Vans Global Custom Culture will take place from Dec. 5 -12. The public will be invited to vote on the final round too. The contest’s three winners will hail from three separate regions; North America, Asia Pacific and Europe, said April Vitkus, Vans’s senior director of global brand marketing,
“We’ve received incredible designs for the inaugural Global Custom Culture art competition,” Vitkus said in a prepared statement. “When we set out to create the first global shoe design competition, we wanted to create a program that truly amplified art and voices from around the globe. This next phase of this competition relies on public support and we’re encouraging everyone to help us decide who will make it to the next round.”
