Edison High School student enters Vans Custom Culture contest with puro San Antonio-themed design
- Facebook / Roger Zamarripa Jr.
- High school student Roger Zamarripa Jr. has entered Vans’ Custom Culture competition with a puro SA design.
San Antonio high school Junior Roger Zamarripa Jr. is ready to show the world what puro SA pride looks like, thanks to shoe company Vans and its Custom Culture competition.
The annual nationwide contest lets high school students customize Vans kicks around specific themes and have the chance to win cash for their school’s art programs. The themes for the 2021 installment are Hometown Pride and Head in the Clouds.
- Facebook / Roger Zamarripa Jr.
- Zamarripa’s final design was unveiled via social media Friday.
Zamarripa’s design features handpainted renditions of brightly colored papel picado reminiscent of Market Square. It also incorporates images of the Paseo del Rio and the Alamo, accented by bright teal soles and orange piping.
The Edison student’s creation is now in the second phase of the contest, where designs from 250 schools — some with teams of up to 20 students — get the chance to recreate their digital submissions on real-life Vans.
Zamarippa used acrylic paints to recreate his design.
“I’ve experimented with a lot of mediums, but you could say I know my way around acrylic paint. … I’m just really excited and grateful to have had the opportunity to create something for this contest,” Zamarripa told the Current. “It’s just all so exciting! And if I make it to the next step, then I’ll have the opportunity to get votes from all over the nation, so I’ll need San Antonio’s help to get me into the top five.”
That “next step” will be the third round of the contest, which pits the top 50 designs — as chosen by Vans — against each other in a nationwide public vote. Voting will begin April 26, and the top five designs and grand prize winner will be announced at the end of May.
The grand prize winner will snag $50,000 for their school’s arts programs, while runners-up will get $15,000 each.
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