What can you do with 23 rolls of duct tape and 227 hours?
A 17-year-old from Robbinsdale, Ava Motl, managed to create a prom dress. That dress has made her one of 10 finalists in a national contest to win a $10,000 scholarship.
Since age 8, Motl has been fascinated by fashion design, especially dresses. Inspired by Van Gogh's post-impressionism masterpiece "The Starry Night," Motl crafted a yellow and blue dress with rich, oil-painting-like textures by layering — and then painting — strips of tapes.
She also used duct tape to transform a pair of sloping heels and made a handbag-style accessory to add the finishing touch to her ensemble.
In her submission for the Stuck for Prom Scholarship Contest, Motl said painting has always been a way to calm the anxiety in her life "and hopefully, I inspired some of you to use art as an outlet for some of your personal struggles or emotions," she wrote.
You can check out Motl's design as well as those of the other contestants and vote for your favorite. Vote early and often (you can cast one vote per day): The deadline for voting is July 12. Winners will be announced around July 19.
