DECATUR, Ala. — The "Stuck at Prom" Scholarship Contest is a chance for teenagers across the country to show off their skills in arts and crafts by making their tuxedo or dress from scratch using duct tape. This year, Decatur resident Aidan Flanagan is a finalist in the "Best Tuxedo" portion and is in the running for the grand prize, a $15,000 scholarship.
"I first heard it through a teacher of mine who was kind of really amping different scholarship opportunities," said Aidan Flanagan, "one of the things she mentioned offhand was a duct tape scholarship."
The tuxes and dresses are judged on five different categories: workmanship, originality, use of colors, accessories and use of Duck Brand duct tape.
Each tuxedo and dress submitted also has some inspiration behind it. Others went with family heritage, famous artists, etc. For Aidan, his inspiration comes from growing up near the U.S. Space and Rocket Center. "I wanted, you know, that to be kind of the identity that people see me as is kind of space and the place I grew up."
You can't forget about how much time and effort goes into these creations. Aidan's tuxedo called for 21 rolls of duct tape, working on it for 92 hours over several months. For Aidan, he knows the competition is fierce, but he decided to go the extra mile to stand out. Aidan says "You can do 98% of the work and it'll look great, but it's that last 2% that makes or breaks anything."
For anyone wondering, Aidan did wear this suit to his prom. He says, "The prom was more me talking about the suit than it was, you know, going to an actual prom. I hadn't shown any pictures and that was one of the things I was trying to keep there. I was like, it's going to be a surprise and I want everyone to really enjoy it."