For high school Seniors, Prom season has come and gone, leaving—hopefully—beautiful memories in its wake. This year, over 150 students have an additional memory to look back on–creating and wearing duct tape prom outfits for the Duck® Brand Stuck at Prom Scholarship Contest. As we wait for the 2025 winner to be announced on July 9th, here’s a look back at some of the most amazing duct tape dresses to ever emerge from this incredible opportunity.
Celeste Sotelo – 2024
This incredible evening gown was designed by Celeste Sotelo from Waynesboro, Virginia, for the 2024 contest. It won her Top 10 Finalist in the dress category—not bad, considering the stiff competition! Sotelo stated that the dress was inspired by her Mexican American heritage and her dad’s connection to Jalisco, Mexico. She drew inspiration from the charro and mariachi styles, incorporating elements like buttons on the dress’ side. The ruffles at the bottom of the dress were influenced by Folklorico dance dresses. All in all, she spent 15 hours making the dress, using 10 rolls of red and white Duck Tape®.
Karla Tejeda – 2023
This incredible pink, white, and gold gown took home the grand prize in the 2023 contest. Karla Tejeda of Los Angeles, California designed it, using 18th-century French rococo art as inspiration. The design featured ruffle sleeves, layered “petticoats”, and gold embellishments, and incorporated elements of lace, floral prints, and ribbons. Tejeda spent over 120 hours on her creation, using 14 rolls of tape. She also created a fan and a clutch purse to complete the look.
Elise Villarreal – 2022
In 2022, this amazing kimono was one of 5 Runners Up in the Dress category. Elise Villarreal of Mattawan, Michigan created it. Villarreal was inspired by her Japanese heritage, and incorporated meaningful symbols into the design. In her contest submission, she noted, “A Kimono is clearly not one’s typical prom dress, but with the sense of identity represented through this garment, why go teenage typical when you can go Japanese traditional?” Villarreal spent 140 hours creating her entry, using 18 rolls of tape.
Larissa Leon – 2021
This fantastic dress took home the grand prize in 2021. Larissa Leon of Sunnyside, Washington created it. Mexican culture and traditional Spanish folkloric dance dresses inspired her. The dress featured a colorful, ruffled off-the-shoulder gown adorned with duct tape lace, flowers, and ribbons. She also made matching accessories like a purse, flower crown, earrings, and shoes. It took Leon 163 hours to create, and used 47 rolls of tape.
Lena Hart – 2020
The 2020 pandemic forced many high school students to stay at home and learn remotely, rather than attending physical school. Despite this—or more likely, because of it—about twice as many students participated than in previous years, with more than 300 submissions! One such participant, who ended up winning in the Dress Runner Up category, was Lena Hart of Ayr, Ontario, in Canada. She spent over 146 hours and 12 rolls of tape creating her dress, which wouldn’t look out of place at an Ariana Grande concert! “I’ve been designing dresses since I could hold a pencil,” Hart wrote in her submission, adding that she honed the idea for the dress in a fashion design class.
Vote now for the 2025 Stuck at Prom contest!
The Duck Brand has not yet announced its 2025 “Stuck at Prom” winners at the time of this writing. However, it has announced its finalists, and encourages community members to vote on their favorite! The top finalist in both the dress and tuxedo categories will each receive a $15,000 cash scholarship. Remaining finalists (eight in total) will receive a $1,000 cash scholarship, and a $100 Duck® Brand Prize Pack. Judges will also award three additional Three additional $1,000 scholarships, in “Judge’s Choice” categories of Runway Worthy, Most Inspiring, and Trust E.’s Choice.
Fun facts about Stuck at Prom
- Since the contest began in 2001, approximately 8,000 students have participated, competing for a chance to win $15,000 in scholarship money.
- Since the contest started in 2001, Stuck at Prom participants have used more than 100,000 rolls of Duck Tape® to create their prom attire. This is equivalent to 13,919 football fields or 115,995 school buses worth of tape.
- Students from all 50 U.S. states and six Canadian provinces have entered the contest.
- Over 700,000 voters have cast votes to determine contest winners.
- Museums display some winning entries, and many local (or even national) news segments feature them.
- Winners can use the scholarship money for any field they choose.
Fun facts about Duct Tape
We have already written extensively about duct tape on this blog; however, there is always more to share! Did you know that:
- Duct tape was first invented during World War II. American soldiers used it for things like sealing ammunition cases and making temporary repairs.
- In 1975, Jack Kahl of Manco (now part of Shurtape Technologies) trademarked the name “Duck Tape.” He marketed it with a yellow cartoon duck logo, helping Duck Tape become the popular brand it is today.
- Three layers comprise duct tape: a plastic (polyethylene) top layer, a fabric mesh in the middle, and a rubber-based adhesive on the bottom.
- The polyethylene backing makes it water-resistant, perfect for both indoor repairs and outdoor use.
- The Duck Brand’s headquarters is located in Avon, Ohio, also known as the “duct tape capital of the world.”
Get all the Packaging Supplies You Need at SSI Packaging!
If you are in need of duct tape, cardboard boxes, or any other packing material, check out SSI Packaging. We stock a wide selection of packaging and shipping items in our Richmond warehouse, ready for pick-up today. Feel free to visit us at 1514 Brook Road, Richmond, VA 23220, or contact us for the kind of friendly, personalized experience you just can’t get at a big box store.