AVON, Ohio (July 16, 2025)—After months of cutting, crafting and campaigning, the winners of this year’s Duck® Brand Stuck at Prom® Scholarship Contest have officially been crowned. Emmalynn Holland of Glenmoore, Pennsylvania, is the Grand Prize Dress Winner and Nicholas Moore of Mooresville, North Carolina, is the Grand Prize Tux Winner of the friendly competition, where high school students from across the U.S. and Canada take prom fashion into their own hands—literally—by creating DIY duct tape designs for a shot at scholarship glory.
Holland, strutting a voluminous hot pink ball gown, and Moore, turning heads in his music-inspired tux, each earned a $15,000 scholarship for not only building wearable works of art, but for rallying the public’s vote through inspiring local news stories and savvy self-promotion.
“Influenced by cultural roots and personal interests, each of the finalists poured creativity and heart into crafting unique outfits that tell their story,” says Kerry Haugh, director of product marketing at Shurtape Technologies, LLC, the company that markets the Duck® brand. “From intricate details to imaginative themes and inventive uses of Duck Tape®, their work captured thousands of votes, all vetted by contest judges. This year’s grand prize winners truly stood out for their bold vision, but every finalist brought something inspiring to the table and will be rewarded for their impressive creativity.”
The remaining eight runners-up will each receive $1,000 cash prize as well as Duck® Brand prize packs worth $100 for their hard work and creativity. Additionally, three of the runners-up have been honored with a Judge’s Choice Award worth $1,000. Lien Tan of Plainview, New York, wins Runway Worthy for her statement-making, sophisticated swan-inspired dress. Calder Westerman of Ann Arbor, Michigan, takes the Trust E’s Choice Award for his racing tux, which was favored by the judges. Lastly, Delano Yeung of Lakewood, Ohio, secured the Most Inspiring Award for combining culture and a touching story into his duct tape tux designed like a suit of armor.
The other finalists rounding out the top 10 include Brittany Blackwell of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Alessia Gonzalez of Oakley, California; Kathryn Lermy of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma; Bronson Aggamway of Thunder Bay, Ontario; and Julian Horton of Powder Springs, Georgia.
Learn more about this year’s Grand Prize winners:
2025 Stuck at Prom® Grand Prize Dress Winner: Emmalynn Holland
Inspired by the very princesses she once dismissed, Holland’s dress, which took 31 Duck Tape® rolls and 176 hours to make, comes complete with a crown, intricate duct tape jewelry and a flowy skirt with layers of ruffles. Growing up with only brothers and claiming green as her favorite color in elementary school, it took years of self-discovery for her to embrace the strong and powerful feminine side of her that really does love pink.
“This dress is more than just pink and pretty,” Holland says. “It represents my journey of reclaiming femininity and rooting my identity in faith. It’s a reflection of who I truly am, inside and out.”
2025 Stuck at Prom® Grand Prize Tux Winner: Nicholas Moore
Influenced by his love of music, Moore incorporated the instruments he’s learned to play over the years into this suit, which took 42 rolls of Duck Tape® and 97 hours to craft. His passion for playing music developed early on when he joined band in middle school and has grown ever since. In high school, he served as section leader in marching band and he also performs in various seasonal concerts and even in the pit for high school musicals.
“This year, my love for music deepened even more when I joined the jazz band and started to play trumpet,” Moore says. “My tuxedo is inspired by my love of music and the instruments that I play. Within my design, you will find French horns, trumpets, mellophones and even the baritone, an instrument that I am learning to play for my senior year.”