Vans Custom Culture Named a Finalist in 2016 Cause Marketing Halo Awards

CYPRESS, Calif., Feb. 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Vans, the original action sports footwear and apparel brand, today announced its Vans Custom Culture design competition has been named a finalist in the education category for the 2016 Cause Marketing Halo Awards. For 50 years, Vans has supported creative expression through action sports, music, art and street culture. The Vans Custom Culture design competition was founded in 2010 with the goal of raising awareness of diminishing arts education budgets across the country and to help students express their #RightToArt.

In six years, the competition has grown from 325 to nearly 3,000 schools standing alongside Vans to appeal for their #RightToArt. In 2012, Vans Custom Culture partnered with Americans for the Arts, the nation's leading organization for advancing the arts and art education in America. The Vans Custom Culture design competition aims to show high school students how creativity can be their strongest asset as they grow and that artistic careers are viable.

"We're thrilled that Vans Custom Culture has been selected as a finalist for the Halo Awards in the education category. Vans firmly believes in the value of arts education and the positive impact creative expression has on every student's life," said Sarah Crockett, vice president of global consumer marketing. "We're proud that Vans Custom Culture has helped more than 142,000 students express their Right To Art over the past six years and invite teachers to register their school for this year's competition."

Since 2010, 7,612 high schools, more than 10 percent of high schools nationally, have participated in the Vans Custom Culture design completion and nearly $600,000 has been contributed to support arts programs in schools. High school teachers still have until 5 p.m. PT today to register their school for this year's competition online at Vans.com/CustomCulture.

"I am pleased that Vans Custom Culture is a finalist to receive this distinguished award," said Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts. "Americans for the Arts has partnered with Vans Custom Culture since 2012, and together we are helping to bring more attention to the importance of the arts in high school curricula, encouraging high school students to embrace their creativity, and inspiring a new generation of innovative, forward focused youth."

Seventy-two percent of business leaders agree that creativity is the number one skill they're looking for when hiring. But 85 percent of those leaders say they cannot find the creative candidates they're looking for. Arts learning is a pathway to career success through the cultivation of habits of mind such as creative and innovation thinking. Vans continues to believe that this cultivation of creative career pathways is an important way to future proof their "Off The Wall" brand. By inspiring and perpetuating youth culture, Vans will maintain a stable customer base, as well as be able to find talented new designers to lead the brand into the future.

The Cause Marketing Halo Awards recognize excellence in North American cause marketing campaigns. 2016 marks the 14^th year that the Cause Marketing Forum will honor businesses and nonprofits with Halos for doing well by doing good.

"Each year, as cause-related marketing gets more sophisticated, we receive an increasing number of strong submissions into the Halo Awards. Being named a finalist is an industry honor and demonstrates a level of accomplishment in campaigns that combine purpose and profit," said Cause Marketing Forum President David Hessekiel.

A total of 26 category awards will be given out to programs judged the best cause marketing campaigns of 2015 at the 14^th Annual Cause Marketing Forum Conference in Chicago on June 2, 2016. A list of the Cause Marketing Halo Award finalists can be seen online here.

For information and registration guidelines visit Vans Custom Culture at Vans.com/CustomCulture.  Follow the movement on Instagram @vans.custom.culture and by using the hashtags #RightToArt and #VansCustomCulture.

About Vans
Vans^®, a VF Corporation VFC brand, is the original action sports footwear, apparel and accessories brand. Vans authentic collections are sold globally in more than 75 countries through a network of subsidiaries, distributors and international offices. Vans also owns and operates more than 450 retail locations around the world. The Vans brand promotes the action sports lifestyle, youth culture and creative self-expression through the support of athletes, musicians and artists and through progressive events and platforms such as the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing^®, the Vans U.S. Open of Surfing, Vans Pool Party, Vans Custom Culture, Vans Warped Tour^®, and Vans' cultural hub and international music venue, the House of Vans.

Vans, "Off The Wall" Since '66 
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instagram.com/vans.custom.culture 

About Americans for the Arts
Americans for the Arts is the leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts and arts education in America. With offices in Washington, D.C. and New York City, it has a record of more than 50 years of service. Americans for the Arts is dedicated to representing and serving local communities and creating opportunities for every American to participate in and appreciate all forms of the arts. Additional information is available at www.AmericansForTheArts.org.

About the Cause Marketing Forum
Now in their fourteenth year, the Cause Marketing Halo Awards are North America's highest honor in the field of cause marketing. They are presented to US and Canadian companies by the Cause Marketing Forum, a company dedicated to providing business and nonprofit executives with the practical information and connections they need to succeed. All Halo finalists can be seen online at: http://www.CauseMarketingForum.com/halo2016.

Media Contacts:
Vans: Laura Doherty, (714) 889-3114, Laura_Doherty@vfc.com 
Edelman: Parinaz Farzin, (323) 202-1892, parinaz.farzin@edelman.com
Americans for the Arts: Inga Vitols, (202-371-2830), ivitols@artsusa.org 

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SOURCE Vans