Many students may remember the Vans Custom Culture contest from last year, and here it is again. This year, Carlsbad High’s art department aims for the chance to win $50,000 and a trip to New York City, but they need students to vote.

These colorful shoes that students see on campus are not just for eye appeal or a creative project.

“The Vans Custom Culture contest is a nationwide contest where 2,500 schools enter four pairs of shoes of originally designed Vans shoes based on the themes of Local Flavor, Art, Music and Action Sports,” sophomore Danika Lara said.

Although this contest applies to mainly shoes, the lessons learned are helpful to students in may ways.

“All the students get really excited about this event,” art teacher Mrs. Foulk said. “Art is not only a picture that you paint, it’s everything we make and design. It really affects everything and teaches the kids how to market, how to be creative, and to think outside the box. So if they apply all those skills to every area in their life, I think that’s going to help them be stronger and more creative people.”

To ensure that the shoes have a good chance of winning, the team of young artists must acquire sublime techniques.

“To be a member of the CHS Vans Team, one must be in either Drawing or Painting or AP art, however this year there is one amazing freshman artist who is on the team,” Lara said. “Everyone has to apply to be on the team, we have to draw a design for one of the themes and explain why we should be on the team. Since the top five school can take 20 students to NYC in the final round of the contest, there are 20 members on the team who all work on each shoe.”

The CHS art department is doing all they can to try to get further in the contest than they did the previous year.

“This year we have tried to make our shoes a lot cleaner,” Mrs. Foulk said. “We really worked hard to think outside the box, ideas we think no one else would think of, and present them in a really unique way. So I think that is the biggest thing we have done differently this year compared to last.”

This specific contest helps many express their devotion to art and have a feel for what may come after high school.

“This is such a great opportunity for kids because, even if we don’t win, they still get a trip to New York,” Mrs. Foulk said. “They are such a hard working group of kids, so if they do end up winning something this big it’s going to be rewarding. Art is quiet, performing arts are huge, but visual artists don’t get a lot of recognition. So for them to get recognition through the school would be amazing. ”

This is not only a great competition for students to be involved in, it is very helpful for our school and city.

“This contest affects our school by allowing us the chance to win $50,000 for our school’s art department,” Lara said. “Art supplies are ridiculously expensive so this would really benefit us by making sure art is a class students will be able to enroll in at Carlsbad. Also if we win this contest we plan to join our neighboring high schools, Oceanside, LCC, Escondido, and Vista, to paint several murals around North County, our communities, and our schools.”

Online voting is open until May 11, so students need to make sure to get their vote in.

“We really need people to vote,” Mrs. Foulk said. “If people just say they support us, but don’t vote or get others to vote and not spreading the word then its not going to mean anything. So we really need people to vote and encourage others to vote by posting on their Facebook or Instagram or other forms of social media. This is such an amazing opportunity for us, so please support not only your school but county by voting for us.”