Great Neck teenager Jessica Ong has been selected as a finalist in Duck Tape’s 2024 Stuck At Prom Scholarship contest.
Ong, 17, spent over 98 hours and used 36 rolls of duct tape to craft her creation: a blue and white ballgown adorned with flowers and blue butterfly wings, a matching hair accessory, and a purse, all made out of duct tape.
The Stuck at Prom Scholarship contest is an annual contest hosted by Duck Tape. The brand invites high school students to create and submit a prom look made exclusively out of duct tape for the chance to win up to $15,000 in scholarship money. Students can create outfits in either the dress or tuxedo category.
Finalists were selected by a panel of judges based on workmanship, originality, use of colors, accessories, and use of Duck Brand duct tape. Out of 150 entries, 5 were selected as finalists in both the dress and the tuxedo category. Ong is one of the five selected finalists in the dress category.
Ong says that she chose the butterfly motif in memory of her late grandmother, who passed away earlier this year, as many cultures view butterflies as messengers from the spirit world. To Ong, butterflies represent “joy and happiness, while their transformative journey from caterpillar to butterfly symbolizes renewal and the possibility of positive change.”
The final Stuck at Prom Scholarship winners will be decided by public vote. Three of the finalists will receive the judge’s choice awards decided by a panel of judges. The winners will be announced by email, social media, and stuckatprom.com.
“Through the creation of this dress, adorned with the symbol of the butterfly, I aim to manifest this belief in luck and good omens,” she said. “It becomes not just a piece of clothing, but a symbol of hope, resilience, and the promise of brighter days ahead.”
