words // Brandon Richard
Thursday marked the grand finale event for Vans' high school sneaker design contest, Custom Culture 2011. A packed house and panel of judges consisting of Hayden Panettiere, Tony Alva, Jordan Buckley, Mister Cartoon and Nicole Young were in attendance to crown a winner. Nearly 400 schools entered Custom Culture 2011, with at least one school representing every state. A field of 50 semi-finalists was narrowed down to 5 by the general public and flown out to New York City for Thursday's event.
The five finalists included: Dos Pueblos High School in Goleta, CA; Franklin Pierce High School in Tacoma, WA; Moanalua High School in Honolulu, HI; Ward Melville High School from Long Island, NY; and Eastern High School from Louisville, KY. After weeks of anticipation, it was New York's Ward Melville that was announced as the winner. In addition to $50,000, Ward Melville’s shoe designs will be available for retail in 2012.
In his speech prior to the winning announcement, Kevin Bailey (President of Vans) noted “every employee at Vans is so proud of this program to provide outlets for artistic expression and to give back to the high school art programs that birthed many of the creative employees in our own company.”
Check out some shots of Tony Alva and the judging panel below, as well as a winning shot of Ward Melville students.
