FAQS

After more than two decades, Duck® Brand is continuing with the exciting changes to the Stuck at Prom® Scholarship Contest. From new judging categories to bigger scholarships, there are more ways to win!

• Increased Scholarship Prizes
  Duck® Brand is offering the biggest cash prizes, yet. Two grand prize winners that make the most eye-catching Duck Tape® designs—one dress and one tux—will each take home $15,000 and each of the runners-up will receive $1,000.
• Judges’ Choice Categories
  In addition to the above prizes, three of the top 8 Runner's Up will receive a judges' choice award plus another $1,000. The new categories include Runway Worthy, Most Inspiring and Trust E.’s Choice.

The 2025 contest timeline is as follows:
 

Entry Period – March 26, 2025 (12 PM ET) - June 4, 2025 (12 PM ET)

Judging Period – June 11, 2025 - June 18, 2025

Community Voting – June 25, 2025 (12 PM ET) - July 9, 2025 (12 PM ET)

Winners Announced – On or about July 16, 2025
 

It’s the coolest scholarship contest around, that’s what. Students are challenged to create and wear their own prom outfits made entirely from Duck Tape® for the chance to win scholarship cash!

You do not! We’ve removed the requirement to wear your one-of-a-kind creation to prom. You’ll need to submit at least one photo of you decked out in your Duck Tape® prom attire at a location of your choosing.

Of course you can, although attending prom is no longer a requirement. But if you and your date will both be creating and wearing Duck Tape fashions, you’ll have to enter the contest separately, in either the “dress” or “tux” categories.

Nope! There are two options for entering the Stuck At Prom contest:

1. You can create a written essay that details your outfit as requested on the entry form, or

2. You can create a video that showcases your outfit per the details in the entry form.

Whichever option you choose needs to be submitted when you enter the contest.

Note: If you do create a video, make sure it does not contain any brand names or logos other than Duck® Brand (i.e., TikTok watermark) or music you don’t have written permission to use.

Because each state has its own laws governing contests, it’s difficult for us to offer promotions that can be entered by everyone throughout the US and Canada. Unfortunately, Duck® Brand has no control over those restrictions, and the states listed above prohibit entry to this contest. Some common restrictions include CA & UT for alcohol related contests; MA, MI and VA do not allow tobacco-related contests; FL, NY and RI have more restrictive laws governing prizes of high value and so are often excluded; while Quebec has particularly stringent laws about sweepstakes. Although not legally restrictive, AK & HI are often omitted due to higher shipping costs for distributing prizes

Hey, that’s like asking us to rent your tux or send you a free prom dress! Sorry, but it’s up to individuals and schools to supply their own Duck Tape® to make their prom wear creations.

• One (1) First Place Prize – Dress Category: $15,000 will be awarded to the winning Finalist in the Dress Category.

• One (1) First Place Prize – Tux Category: $15,000 will be awarded to the winning Finalist in the Tux Category.

• Eight (8) Runners Up Prizes: $1,000 Cash Scholarship and Duck® Brand Prize Packs (ARV $100 each) will be awarded to the remaining Finalists in each of the Dress and Tux Categories.

• Three (3) Category Prizes: Additional $1,000 Cash Scholarship

We’d love to tell you “everyone is welcomed to enter!” But, you gotta play by the rules. So to enter the contest you must:

• Be at least 14 years of age.
• Be enrolled in high school or home school association (at the high-school level) during the 2024 - 2025 school year.
• Be a legal resident of the United States and the District of Columbus (excluding Maryland, Colorado, Nebraska and North Dakota) or a legal resident of Canada (excluding the Province of Quebec)
• Not have been a finalist in any previous Stuck at Prom contests.

At Duck® Brand, we’re inclusive. So, our dress and tux categories are open to anyone – and everyone! Just make sure you meet the criteria for the category and Contest!

Good news! Entering isn’t just fun – it’s easy! Here’s how you do it: Head to the entry form. Then, submit at least one high resolution photo of you decked out in your Duck Tape® prom outfit plus all the required entry info during the contest entry period. If you’re under 18 yrs. old, don’t forget to get your parent’s permission. After you submit, a confirmation email will be sent right to your inbox.

Don’t worry, it’s probably a minor issue. Try this:

• Try using a different Internet browser to post your entry.
• Restart your device and try submitting your entry again.
• Double check that your Internet connection is working.
• Double check that your photo/video file size is not too big.

Still having trouble? Email us at [email protected] with a screenshot and explanation of your issue.

Definitely! But if you do, be sure to include a photography release form signed by the photographer with your submission.

You’re free to create your Duck Tape® prom wear whenever you like. But you can only enter your creation during the official contest entry period.

Copyrights are tricky – and stricter than you think. If your Duck Tape® prom outfit or submission materials use existing work from someone else, it could be a copyright infringement. That means it could be disqualified from entry. So it’s best to avoid outfits that include:

• Characters from movies, books, or video games
• Sports teams and sports personalities
• Brand names and other logos (including TikTok watermark on video submissions)
• Album covers and lyrics from bands or musicians (including music you don’t have written permission to use in video submissions)
• Pieces of art
• The list goes on and on

We really want to see the cool outfits that come from your imagination! So dream up your own design! If you use any of the above - or any other copyright-protected material - you will be subject to disqualification at the discretion of our Stuck at Prom® and legal teams. For more information on copyright infringement, check out our Official Rules.

Absolutely! As long as you are enrolled in a home school association (at the high-school level) during the 2024 - 2025 school year. And again, this year, we’ve removed the requirement to attend prom. See the Official Rules for more information.

Yes! You need to be enrolled in high school or home school association (at the high-school level) during the 2024 - 2025 school year. See the Official Rules for more information.

Sorry! We’ll only accept one (1) submission per Entrant.

It depends! If you’ve entered in the past but didn’t win, good news! You can enter the contest again, but make sure it’s a brand new creation. You cannot reenter the same promwear twice. If you’ve entered in the past but did win a prize, unfortunately you cannot enter the contest again.

Sorry, but once an entry is submitted, it’s final. You can’t change or update your contest entry or any pics you’ve submitted.

You’ll get an email within 5 business days to let you know that your entry is accepted – or if it’s rejected. So once you submit your entry, watch your inbox for info and make sure to check your junk mail!

Not so fast! The submission information for all entries must be approved and verified before we can post photos in our gallery. This stuff takes time.

Here’s how it works: Duck® brand selects a panel of judges, and those judges will determine the finalists based on:

• Workmanship - 20% Workmanship is judged based on the quality, neatness and attention to detail given in creating the outfits and accessories.
• Originality - 20% Originality is judged based on the uniqueness, inventiveness, creativity and original thought of the outfits and accessories.
• Use of Colors - 20% Use of Colors is judged based on the combination, integration and harmony of colors used to create the outfits and accessories.
• Accessories - 20% Accessories are judged based on the creativity and use in accentuating and completing the outfits.
• Use of Duck® Brand Duct Tape - 20% Use of Duck Tape® is judged based on how duct tape is used to construct the pieces of the outfits and accessories.

For the official list of judging criteria, see the Official Rules.

We’ll give you the awesome news by contacting you at the phone and email address you provided in your contest entry.

• A member from the Duck® Brand team will contact you via phone and email with the good news and the paperwork to make it official!
• Your pic will be posted in our spectacular Gallery, where it will compete against other entries in the online community voting phase. After that:
• The Finalist receiving the greatest number of valid votes in the Dress Category will be selected as the winner of the Dress Category and awarded the First Place Prize for the Dress Category.
• The Finalist receiving the greatest number of valid votes in the Tux Category will be selected as the winner of the Tux Category and awarded the First Place Prize in the Tux Category.
• The remaining Finalists will each be awarded a Runner’s Up Prize.
• Three additional Category Prizes will be awarded to three of the Runner's Up.
• If you do not receive a notification from us prior to the Voting Period, then you unfortunately were not selected as a finalist and we encourage you to enter again next year if you meet the criteria!

• Tell everyone you know. No, really … everyone. Friends, family, people from school, people you pass on the street, teachers, the mailman – EVERYONE. Get them to vote – and spread the word themselves!
• Get to the Internet! Share your entry online using the #StuckatProm hashtag – TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, Reddit, your blog… whatever it takes to reach as many people as possible!
• Tell the media! Your local newspaper or TV news station! That can really spread the word and get you votes.
• Feeling stuck? Ask us! We’ll provide you with the tools and support you need to get the word out.

We’ll spread the good news on the StuckAtProm.com site, via email, and via social media on the Duck® Brand and Duck Tape® accounts – we'll even release the news to the local and national media!

If you win, you’ll be the first to know! We’ll contact you at the phone and email address you provided in your entry before we make a public announcement about the winner!

The judges' choice winners are chosen from the remaining 8 Runner's Up by Duck® Brand’s panel of judges. The winners of these awards will be announced alongside the Grand Prize winner announcement.

These award categories include:

• Runway Worthy
  From trend-forward designs to dazzling statement accessories, this judges' choice award highlights the Duck Tape® promwear the judges can likely see strutting on the runway.
• Most Inspiring
  Tell the story! Our judges love to hear the why and how Stuck at Prom® participants create their Duck Tape® promwear. This judges' choice award will be based on the story behind the dress or tux shared through a video or essay.
• Trust E.'s Choice
  All Stuck at Prom® participants each showcase exceptional skill, creativity and great determination in entering this competitive contest. In honor of this, the beloved face of Duck® Brand, Trust E. Duck, will name their top choice for this judges' choice award.