Utah teen’s duct tape suit earns him $10,000 in national contest

TAYLORSVILLE, Utah (KSTU) — Ian Hernandez Rojas from Taylorsville Utah came out on top as the winner of the 23rd annual Stuck at Prom Scholarship Contest out of nearly 200 contestants across the nation and Canada.

The contest is put on by a popular duct tape brand called Duck Brand. In the competition, students are challenged to create and wear their own prom outfits made entirely from “Duck Tape.”

Rojas won $10,000 of the total $20,000 in college scholarships by taking first place in the tux category. One other winner received the other half of the scholarship money in the dress category.

“I was thinking about just my future,” Rojas said. “I was thinking about how I was going to pay for college and I found the scholarship.”

Rojas paid tribute to his Salvadoran roots with a Mayan-inspired tux. The senior at Taylorsville High School says the process took over 60 hours of work and 15 rolls of ‘Duck Tape’ and various materials, like old clothes, wire and cardboard.

“I feel so happy and excited that I won,” Rojas said. “When I found I was so overwhelmed with joy that I stood up and cried. I actually missed the call because I was at BYU for a camp and later saw a voicemail. I was waiting for a class to start when I checked it. I was so shocked by how fast they got back to me.”