Vans Launches Online Voting Contest to Support #RightToArt

CYPRESS, Calif., April 27, 2016 /PRNewswire/ Vans launches online voting today for the seventh annual VansCustom Culture competition, a national contest designed to give high school students a platform to embrace creative expression while joining a movement to support arts education and foster their school's #RightToArt.

In partnership with Americans for the Arts, Journeys, truth, Laguna College of Art and Design, and Blick Art Materials, Vans is asking for the public to help select the top five high schools from the 50 semi-finalists, competing for $50,000 for their school's art programs, among other rewards.

Starting today through May 11, students, teachers, parents, friends and community supporters can visit Vans.com/CustomCulture to see all of the designs and vote for their favorite school. Supporters are invited to vote daily, as each fan is allowed one vote per region per day. The top five finalists will head to Los Angeles in June for a final showcase event featuring celebrity judges, including YouTube personality Maddi Bragg and top chefs Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo behind Los Angeles restaurants Animal, Jon & Vinny's and Son of a Gun among others, as well as a special musical guest.

"Every year the team at Vans looks forward to seeing the creative and inspiring student submissions. While the task of selecting the top 50 finalists for Vans Custom Culture is never easy, we're so excited to showcase these designs to the public and have them take part in extending arts education nationally," said Fara Howard, vice president of global marketing at Vans. "We continue to be awed and inspired by the level of creativity and dedication the students put in to their submissions and we are so proud to help support arts programming and empower the next generation's Right to Art."

Vans Custom Culture was created to inspire high school students to embrace their creativity, while raising awareness of diminishing arts education budgets. The design competition has grown rapidly since 325 schools participated in the inaugural competition in 2010. Since then, more than 10 percent of high schools nationally have participated in Vans Custom Culture and more than $600,000 has been contributed to support arts programs in schools.

As part of the competition, each participating school created four custom designs to represent the Vans "Off The Wall" lifestyle (Action Sports, Music, Art, Local Flavor) using blank Vans classic footwear as the canvas. From there, an internal Vans team including some of the brand's designers, as well as employees, narrowed down the selection to the top 50 schools for the public to vote on (listed by region below).

Top 50 Schools Competing for Spot in Final Five Event

California Region

• Eastside High School Lancaster, CA
• Evergreen Valley High School San Jose, CA
• Gregori High School Modesto, CA
• Northwood High School Irvine, CA
• Orange High School Orange, CA
• San Pasqual High School Escondido, CA
• St. Lucy's Priory High School Glendora, CA
• Trinity Christian Schools Garden Grove, CA
• University High School Irvine, CA
• Western High School Anaheim, CA

Southwest Region

• Bel Air High School El Paso, TX
• Chouteau Mazie Public School Chouteau, OK
• Franklin High School Franklin, TX
• Friendswood High School Friendswood, TX
• James Pace Early College High School Brownsville, TX
• La Joya High School La Joya, TX
• Moanalua High Honolulu, HI
• Raymondville High School Raymondville, TX
• Sabino High School Tucson, AZ
• Timber Creek High School Fort Worth, TX

Southeast Region

• Covington High School Covington, LA
• Eastern High School Louisville, KY
• Great Bridge High School Chesapeake, VA
• McEachern High School Powder Springs, GA
• Metcalfe County High Edmonton, KY
• Minor Daniels Academy Louisville, KY
• Paideia School - Atlanta, GA
• Rome High School Rome, GA
• Southern Vance High School Henderson, NC
• Station Camp High School Gallatin, TN

Northwest Region

• Central Valley High School Spokane Valley, WA
• Fir Ridge High School Portland, OR
• Fort Calhoun High School Fort Calhoun, NE
• McNary High School Salem, OR
• Parker High School Parker, SD
• Pocatello High School Pocatello, ID
• Red River High School Grand Forks, ND
• Sandy High School Sandy, OR
• Vallivue High School Caldwell, ID
• V.J. and Angela Skutt Catholic School Omaha, NE

Northeast Region

• Catoctin High School Thurmont, MD
• Centennial High School Ellicott City, MD
• Cinnaminson High School Cinnaminson, NJ
• John P. Stevens High School Edison, NJ
• J.P. McCaskey High School Lancaster, PA
• Lacey Township High School Lanoka Harbor, NJ
• Middletown High School South Middletown, NJ
• New Palestine High School New Palestine, IN
• Our Lady of Mercy School for Young Women Rochester, NY
• Rochester High School Rochester, MI

Vans Custom Culture Partners

In addition to the $50,000 grand prize, Vans will donate$4,000to each of the four runner-up schools, plus an extra$50,000to non-profit partner, Americans for the Arts, the nation's leading organization for advancing the arts and art education.

Finalists will also be eligible for a $15,000 'Local Attitude' award, presented by retail partner Journeys to the school that creates the most compelling 'local flavor' design. This is Journey's fifth year partnering with Vans Custom Culture.

Further, the 50 semi-finalists have the chance to compete for a separate $10,000 award fromtruth the nation's largest youth smoking prevention campaign. Participants will be challenged to customize a skateboard deck inspired by their reaction to a raw fact about tobacco. This year's challenge is: 'Only 7% of teens smoke. That's down from 23% in 2000. We can get it to 0%. Now: Show us what it looks like when we finish smoking for good.'

Finally, Laguna College of Art and Design, a premiere national art and design college and the first to offer a BFA degree in Action Sports design, has partnered with Vans Custom Culture for the second year to offer a $25,000 scholarship to each of the top five finalist schools to allow one individual from each school to earn their BFA in Design + Digital Media.

For more information on Vans Custom Culture or to cast your vote, please visit Vans.com/CustomCulture. Follow the movement on Instagram @vans.custom.culture and by using the hashtags #RightToArt and #VansCustomCulture.

About Vans
Vans , a VF Corporation (NYSE: VFC) brand, is the original action sports footwear, apparel and accessories brand. Vans authentic collections are sold globally in more than 75 countries through a network of subsidiaries, distributors and international offices. Vans also owns and operates nearly 600 retail locations around the world. The Vans brand promotes the action sports lifestyle, youth culture and creative self-expression through the support of athletes, musicians and artists and through progressive events and platforms such as the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing , the Vans U.S. Open of Surfing, Vans Pool Party,Vans Custom Culture, Vans Warped Tour , and Vans' cultural hub and international music venue, theHouse of Vans.

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