Vans Custom Culture
Check out this really unique art competition where you are challenged to customize a pair of black Vans shoes around a specific theme. You can win up to $50,000 for your school’s art program!!
“Vans Custom Culture was created to inspire and empower high school students to embrace their creativity through art and design and to bring attention to diminishing arts education budgets. Vans believes everyone should be empowered to express themselves creatively and should be given the tools to do so. Custom Culture is a national high school customization competition using blank Vans shoes to be customized around specific themes.”
How do I get started? See Vans Custom Culture.
How do I expand this narrative arc? If art and design are in your narrative arc, think about expanding and diversifying with one of these opportunities:
Project Backboard - in which you turn a neighborhood basketball court into a public work of art.
Storm Drain Art - in which you run an environmental awareness art competition, the winner of which can paint a design on a local storm drain.
School Photographer - in which you land a gig as the official events photographer for your school
Ceiling Tile Art, in which you get permission from your High School to createan art display on ceiling tiles to show off the amazing art created by the studio art students. Alternatively, you could use the medium to highlight books, women’s rights, civil rights, climate change or anything you feel strongly about.
Enter Doodle for Google, in which you compete to win big when you design a new theme-based logo for Google
HOT TIP: If you start looking you will find that there are opportunities everywhere for you to show off your art skills. It’s critical for a serious art student to have a classical portfolio, but it’s also cool and interesting to have some public recognition (especially through an interesting contest like Vans Custom Culture, which is a great conversation piece, not to mention a nice think to slot into the awards section of your college applications)!