During the inspiration for my design, I had the idea to go with a bird. A very majestic bird, so often seen in the unique birds of paradise. I wanted to capture part of that beauty as soon as the idea appeared and I ran with it. I crafted design after design on paper, wanting to keep the avian theme but also add a royal starry aesthetic with it. In my younger years, I always looked at prom as a royal ballroom seen in a period piece movie. I wanted to emphasize that status with the royal blue colors and subtle starry avian features. From the tailcoat representing those long tail feathers, the cape was that of resting wings. I wanted those Avian features to show going as far as to make gloves akin to talons.
This was certainly a fun project to take part of, and I'm happy I managed it. Though, I'd admit I found myself often struggling, taking long all nighters wondering if I should continue. I found myself wondering if it was even worth it at times, but besides finding joy in my art, in bringing projects to life, the chance of what could happen if I didn't give up kept me going. I had one chance I told myself, and I wasn't going to waste that. Looking back there's things I would've done differently to make this easier knowing what I know now, however I'm happy with the outcome. I'm truly happy I was able to participate and I'm even happier I finished just in time to do so.
Stuck At Prom
Avery
Y.
6
Rolls
25
Hours
Inspiration:
I wanted to base my dress of the ocean. Anything to do with water is very important to me, and the ocean reminds me of my home state of New Hampsire. I love ocean animals and wanted to incorporate some special ones on my dress.
Stuck At Prom
Karissa
C.
9
Rolls
22
Hours
Inspiration:
Kintsugi is the Japanese art of taking broken pottery and gluing it back together with a mixture of glue and gold powder. I find kintsugi inspirational because it takes a bunch of broken pieces and makes it beautiful. In today's ever-changing world, mental health is an increasingly important topic. When people have a mental health illness like anxiety or depression, they often think that they are alone in their brokenness. But this simply isn’t true. We’re all broken people, mental illness or not. Like the art of kintsugi, broken people can be used together to accomplish a greater purpose. No matter how much we feel like it, we are not alone. Together, we can do beautiful things.
Stuck At Prom
Faith
B.
9
Rolls
13
Hours
Inspiration:
This dress was inspired by sitting in my boring classes with too much time on my hands. With that time I looked at different designers and what made their dresses stand out. Then from all that planing came my Duck Tape dress.
Stuck At Prom
Emma
F.
9
Rolls
81
Hours
Inspiration:
For as long as I can recall, I have been constantly creating. When I was young, I frequently enjoyed sewing with my mother and creating Duck tape wallets with my cousins. As I have grown older, I have channeled this energy into sewing my own prom dress or suit for each year I have gone. With these factors combined, I was extremely excited when I discovered the “Stuck at Prom Scholarship Contest”. Inspired by the "Red, White, and Made by You" category, I decided to theme my dress based on the U.S. Constitution. To do this, I created a period piece based on women's fashion from the 1780s to pay homage to the year the Constitution was drafted. Unlike a historically accurate article of course, it was created out of Duck tape, which made elements such as the lace and ruffles difficult to replicate. As is historically accurate, the dress includes an underskirt, white trimmings, and a gown with an open front, which features a fitted bodice. For accessories, I created a necklace and a headpiece that accentuated the red accents of the dress. I chose red and white as the accents of this outfit because they represent the American flag. The feather of the headpiece is meant to represent the quill like the one that would have been used to write the Constitution. Most important to me, however, is that this dress would be as historically accurate as I could make out of Duck tape. Beyond the historical fashion, I included the iconic first words of the Constitution, “We the People”, on the sleeves. Then, on the center front section of the underskirt, I handwrote the original first section and preamble of the Constitution. This section describes the way the Founding Fathers envisioned our new country’s government. I believe that while important amendments have since been made here, this is a foundational part of the United States’ history. Each of these features are things I drew by hand. Works created by the federal government of the United States, including the Constitution, are not copyrighted and are in the public domain. Henceforth, I was legally able to include a portion of it on my dress. Overall, I am so excited to bring this dress to life and enter it into the “Stuck at Prom Scholarship Contest”.
Stuck At Prom
Dasha
V.
36
Rolls
129
Hours
Inspiration:
Achieving inspiration from a Spanish, Paso double, Royal Rebel, and floral theme, I created a dress resembling a ballgown with a slit to represent the scandalousness of the red cape (the women) versus the bull (the man), incorporating our own style into it. With the help of my artistic, talented sister, we created something we’d never believe we would have ever started in the first place. After countless hours of staying up working on the dress and the amount of times we had to rush to Walmart to get more supplies, we not only completed a prom dress fully made out of duct tape, but also created a memorable, chaotic memory for my sister and I to cherish forever.
Stuck At Prom
Marina
N.
16
Rolls
27
Hours
Inspiration:
Since it is the 250th anniversary of the United States of America, I decided to make a dress honoring the country that has given so much to me! I was adopted from Russia when I was 18 months old. After living in America for most of my life, I have become extremely thankful and grateful for all of the opportunities I’ve been given. I decided to make the flag, since it already embodies so much of the country; freedom, and independence. I incorporated an eagle wing into my design as well, because the eagle is an important part of American history, as it symbolizes strength, resilience, freedom, and independence.
Stuck At Prom
Donna
C.
13
Rolls
33
Hours
Inspiration:
My inspiration was to have a tuxedo type outfit in the front and a flowing gown style outfit in the back. I simply started with a black canvas, and allowed all other artistic creativity to come to me naturally.
Stuck At Prom
Laura
S.
17
Rolls
105
Hours
Inspiration:
Fun Fact: I’ve been rejected from every scholarship I applied for this year. Dozens of essays, months of sleepless nights— all for naught. Lately I’ve been wondering why. I’ve decided it must be that either that my letters of rec did not actually recommend me or that my essays were a bit too…odd for the preferences of the scholarship committees. Perhaps, my analysis on the etymology of the phrase “when pigs fly” or my frog love poems, or the way I somehow wriggled the word “Eureka!” into every essay just didn’t sit right with the judges. Yet, as I have done with every scholarship I applied for, my inspiration for this dress has been to be unapologetically myself. The black and white aspects represent what can be observed on the outside, but the skirt represents the mess of colorful thoughts and ideas that weave their way in and out of my mind, day in and day out. The bottom part of the dress is made of 32 bubbles each with a unique pattern designed on it. Some of my favorites include the Earth, the orange, and the star on the front.
Stuck At Prom
Skylar
B.
21
Rolls
32
Hours
Inspiration:
My favorite movie is Grease! As a little girl I always wanted to be transported into the time of dancing, bright colors and fun silhouettes. Now as a teenager I finally got to experience what it was like to be in the 1950s. I wanted to capture not just a time period, but that beauty is not just defined in one specific standard for our current expectations, but that history can be beautiful too.
Stuck At Prom
Ashlyn
G.
14
Rolls
31
Hours
Inspiration:
My inspiration for this dress came from my own journey of growth and self-acceptance. I chose soft pink and gold duct tape because those colors represent confidence, beauty, and optimism. The handmade roses symbolize personal growth, while the bows placed throughout the dress represent important milestones that have shaped who I am. Each bow symbolizes a challenge overcome, an accomplishment earned, or a lesson learned during my journey through high school. Together, they remind me that growth happens through many small moments that eventually come together to create something beautiful.
As someone with autism, ADHD, anxiety, and depression, I wanted this design to reflect the process of learning to embrace who I am. The dress, bouquet, wand, and accessories were all handcrafted from duct tape and assembled piece by piece. Just like the dress itself, personal growth happens one step at a time. What started as rolls of duct tape became a reminder that creativity, perseverance, and self-confidence can transform ordinary materials into something meaningful as I prepare for my next chapter at Ohio University.
Stuck At Prom
Emiliano
R.
14
Rolls
44
Hours
Inspiration:
Inspired by the 250th anniversary of the United States, I designed and built a George Washington themed outfit entirely from Duck Tape. What began as a simple costume project evolved into a journey through American History, creativity, and family tradition as I researched Washington, learned new construction techniques and worked alongside my grandmother to bring this design to life. The outfit features historical details, a patriotic American flag design, and an interior mural that illustrates growth from 1776 to 2026, celebrating both America's past and its progress over time.
Stuck At Prom
Madaleine
C.
15
Rolls
36
Hours
Inspiration:
My inspiration for the dress is having all the colors of the dress kind of blend. As the red and white are together at the top of the skirt and then flow into a blue and have bursts of red and white flowers throughout the blue section of the dress.
Stuck At Prom
Callie
H.
17
Rolls
14
Hours
Inspiration:
I was inspired to celebrate our Nation’s 250th Anniversary, by our flag’s colors- red, white and blue, and by the following elements: the 1920’s flapper era- my head piece and purse, meets Dolly Madison/Constitution- my apron, meets a combination of influences from the 1920s flapper layers, 1930s Spanish Flamenco influence, 1980’s bold layers- my ruffled skirt/shawl piece, and by Wonder Woman inspiring my top covered in stars and empowering myself to take risks and design something versatile and fun!
Stuck At Prom
Charlie
K.
8
Rolls
11
Hours
Inspiration:
I like the shape of the dress and went with what works for my body type. I didn't want it to be like a costume but something I'd buy at a store. And I wanted the colors to be vibrant. Yellow is also my favorite color, so just felt right with this really amazing color to work with.
Stuck At Prom
Bailey
K.
7
Rolls
68
Hours
Inspiration:
Ever since I was a little kid, I have been obsessed with any and everything Disney. From growing up with Disney movies and Disney Channel, to going on vacation at Disneyland. Which is why I knew that the theme of my dress had to be something Disney. While thinking bout what Disney thing to use as my theme, I remembered a scene from Sleeping Beauty. Two of the fairies are fighting about the color of Aurora's birthday dress. Going back and forth between pink and blue before the two colors mix. Which is what I tried to recreate in my dress.
Stuck At Prom
Carley
B.
17
Rolls
25
Hours
Inspiration:
Hadestown was the inspiration behind my dress design. The musical’s themes of hope, perseverance, and finding light even in difficult times resonated deeply with me. Watching the story unfold reminded me that even when the outcome is uncertain, there is value in continuing to create, dream, and believe. That message has stayed with me and inspired me to design a dress that reflects both strength and beauty, much like the world portrayed in Hadestown. When creating the dress, I wanted to incorporate elements of ancient Greek fashion, which influenced the flowing silhouette and the leafy details woven throughout the design. The white color symbolizes purity, hope, and new beginnings, while the gold accents add a sense of warmth and radiance. Together, these elements helped me create a look that blends the timeless elegance of Greek mythology with the emotional impact and storytelling that inspired me in Hadestown.
Stuck At Prom
Taylor
R.
6
Rolls
21
Hours
Inspiration:
As humans we’ve been blessed with nature, but as our population has expanded, so has our greed. I wanted to make this dress show the beauty of nature because we’re so close to losing it.
Aaliyah
H.
Stockbridge High School
Stockbridge, Georgia
Avery
Y.
Meridian Medical Arts Charter High School
Boise, Idaho
Karissa
C.
Keller High School
Colleyville, Texas
Faith
B.
Christ Lutheran High School
Buckley, Illinois
Emma
F.
Madison High School
Madison, Kansas
Dasha
V.
The Science Academy STEM Magnet
Los Angeles, California
Marina
N.
Booker T Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts