Van Presents Vans Custom Culture 2013

The Vans Custom Culture contest kicks off with a series of custom shoes designed by Conan O'Brien, Jamie Chung, Mister Cartoon and other celebrities.

words // Brennan Hiro Williams

Vans launched its fourth Vans Custom Culture contest today, a nationwide event with high school students competing for a chance to win $50,000 for their school's art department.


From April 22 to May 13, students, teachers, parents and friends alike, nationwide, can visit Vans.com/CustomCulture to vote for their favorite school’s designs. The top five schools will be invited to New York City to showcase their designs for the crowd and celebrity judges at a special event in June 2013 at the Whitney Museum of American Art, where the grand prize-winner will be announced.


Earlier this year, more than 1,400 schools across the country registered for Vans Custom Culture, with each school customizing four classic Vans styles. From there, an internal Vans team narrowed down the selection to the top 50 schools.

To help spread awareness for the event, Vans selected several Several artists and celebrities to serve as Vans Custom Culture Ambassadors, with each submitting their own custom shoes to further inspire students. The list of Ambassadors includes Conan O'Brien, Mister Cartoon, Dom Kennedy, Tyler Shields, Jamie Chung, Dennis McNett, Aaron Axelrod and Ben Epstein Bryan Greenberg.

Take a closer look at each of the Custom Culture Ambassador's creations in the images below: