PROJECT RUNWAY Announces Season 10 Contestants

Fashion's newest stars have been revealed for the 10th Anniversary season of Lifetime's Emmy(R) Award nominated series, PROJECT RUNWAY, with 16 new designers set to compete on the hit program beginning Thursday, July 19, at 9pm ET/PT. The new designers will face off in front a LIVE audience in New York's famed Times Square in their first elimination challenge tonight, Friday, June 15, at 8pm. They will have to impress thousands of fashionistas and fans in attendance, as well as Heidi Klum, Michael Kors and Nina Garcia, who will be joined by guest judges actress Lauren Graham and costumer, designer and stylist Patricia Field. Field served as the very first guest judge on Project Runway's series premiere and returns to the judging panel in celebrating the 10th season milestone. With the help of mentor Tim Gunn, these designers will have morepressure than ever to prove they have what it takes to be the last designer on the catwalk.

Fans can join the conversation byfollowing the official Project Runway accounts on Twitter, Viddy, Piictu and Instagram and participating in the program's #MakeItWork campaign.

The Project Runway, Season Ten designers are:
Alicia Hardesty, 27 - Hometown: Brandenburg, KY; Resides in: Los Angeles, CA
Andrea Katz, 58 - Hometown: Oceanside, NY; Resides in: New York, NY
Beatrice Guapo, 29 - Hometown: Orange County, CA; Resides in: Marina del Rey, CA
Buffi Jashanmal, 32 - Hometown: London, England/Dubai UAE; Resides in: New York, NY
Christopher Palu, 24 - Hometown: Brooklyn, NY; Resides in: Massapequa, NY
Dmitry Sholokhov, 33 - Hometown: Novopolotsk, Belarus; Resides in: New York, NY
Elena Slivnyak, 28 - Hometown: Kiev, Ukraine; Resides in: Daly City, CA
Fabio Costa, 29 - Hometown: Belo Horizonte, Brazil; Resides in: Brooklyn, NY
Gunnar Deatherage, 22 - Hometown: LaGrange, Kentucky; Resides in: Louisville, KY
Kooan Kosuke, 30 - Hometown: Himeji-shi, Japan; Resides in: Queens, NY
Lantie Foster, 48 - Hometown: Sacramento, CA; Resides in: New York, NY
Melissa Fleis, 31 - Hometown: Rogers City, MI; Resides in: San Francisco, CA
Nathan McDonald, 33 - Hometown: Zanesville, OH; Resides in: New York, NY
Raul Osorio, 27 - Hometown: Canoga Park, CA/Honduras; Resides in: Minneapolis, MN
Sonjia Williams, 27- Hometown: Boston, MA; Resides in: Woodside, NY
Ven Budhu, 28 - Hometown: Berbice, Guyana; Resides in: Kew Gardens, NY
As part of the winner's prize package, this season's victorious designer will receive $100,000 from L'Oréal Paris to start his/her own line, a fashion spread in Marie Claire magazine, a 2013 Lexus GS 350, a $50,000 technology suite by HP and Intel to create his/her own vision and run his/her business and the opportunity to design and sell an exclusive collection at Lord & Taylor. Lord & Taylor is the exclusive retail sponsor for Project Runway's 10th season and has merchandised the accessory wall with its well-edited assortment of product. The retailer will also host an exciting challenge episode that will come to life for consumers on Fashion's Night Out in the store's Fifth Avenue flagship. The model paired with the winner of Project Runway will also appear in the designer's editorial feature in Marie Claire and receive $25,000 from L'Oréal Paris EverStyle.

ABOUT PROJECT RUNWAY

Hosted by supermodel and fashion maven Heidi Klum, the hit series Project Runway provides budding designers with an opportunity to launch their careers in fashion, under thewatchful eyes of mentor and Liz Claiborne Chief Creative Officer Tim Gunn and judges Michael Kors and Nina Garcia . Project Runway was 2011's number one rated and most watched competitive reality program on ad-supported cable among Women.

Project Runway is produced byThe Weinstein Company, Miramax Films, Bunim-Murray Productions and Full Picture. Executive producers include Bob and Harvey Weinstein (Co-Chairmen of The Weinstein Company), Meryl Poster of The Weinstein Company, Jonathan Murray, Sara Rea and Colleen Sands of Bunim/Murray Productions, Heidi Klum, and Jane Cha Cutler and Desiree Gruber of Full Picture. Barbara Schneeweiss oversees the production on behalf of The Weinstein Company. Rob Sharenow, Gena McCarthy and David Hillman of Lifetime also executive produce.

ABOUT The Weinstein Company

The Weinstein Company (TWC) is a multimedia production and distribution company launched in October 2005 by Bob and Harvey Weinstein, the brothers who founded Miramax Films in 1979. TWC also encompasses Dimension Films, the genre label founded in 1993 by Bob Weinstein, which has released such popular franchises as Scream, Spy Kids and Scary Movie. Together TWC and Dimension Films have released a broad range of mainstream, genre and specialty films that have been commercial and critical successes. TWC releases took home eight 2012 Academy Awards(R), the most wins in the studio's history. The tally included Best Picture for Michel Hazanavicius's The Artist and Best Documentary Feature for TJ Martin and Dan Lindsay's Undefeated. The Artist brought TWC its second consecutive Best Picture statuette following the 2011 win for Tom Hooper's The King's Speech.

TWC is also active in television production, led by former Miramax Films President of Production and current President of Television Meryl Poster, with credits including the Emmy(R) nominated and Peabody Award winning reality series Project Runway, spin-off series Project Runway All Stars and Project Accessory, the VH1 reality series Mob Wives, spin-off series Mob Wives Chicago and the critically acclaimed HBO comedy/crime series The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency which also received a Peabody Award. The company is currently in pre-production on the martial-arts epic Marco Polo for Starz as well as production on the Mob Wives spin off series starring Big Ang, the breakout hit 'mob wife' character. TWC has 17 other shows in active development, including The Nanny Diaries, being adapted for ABC by Amy Sherman Palladino (Bunheads, Gilmore Girls).

ABOUT LIFETIME

Lifetime Television is committed to offering the highest quality entertainment and information programming, and advocating a wide range of issues affecting women and their families. The network posted major growth in viewership among the key demographics in First Quarter 2012 versus First Quarter 2011, including a 9% jump in Adults 25-54, +12% with Women 25-54, +14% with Adults 18-49 and +18% with Women 18-49. In addition, the quarter marks the first time Lifetime has posted First Quarter year-on-year growth for Adults 25-54, Women 25-54 and Women 18-49 in seven years. Lifetime Television(R), LMN(R), Lifetime Real Women(R) and Lifetime Digital(TM) are part of Lifetime Entertainment Services, LLC, a subsidiary of A+E Networks. A+E Networks is a joint venture of the Disney-ABC Television Group, Hearst Corporation and NBC Universal.

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