The maker of everyone’s favorite canvas sneaker (and checkered slip-on, too) is back with its national art competition, Vans Custom Culture, which gives high school students the chance to harness their creative sides – while having some fun with it.

The competition works like this: Registered high schools are sent four different styles of Vans – or, palettes, if you will – for its students to customize in line with one of four themes. Students then submit photos of their designs (Instagrams welcome) to the competition website for all the world to see and for Vans staffers to review. The top five schools’ teams are flown out to New York for the final judging, and the winner receives $50,000 toward their school’s art program.

Naturally, this four-years-strong competition stretches far past the glory of having the coolest shoes in the nation. Vans’ aim is to bring the spotlight back onto high school art programs – an academic focus that, as we all know too well, sees less and less budget love as the years go on.

We’ll leave you with this FYI – the competition’s registration deadline is February 11. Meaning? There’s still more than enough time for your favorite high school to get involved.

By Sarah Stanley, Staff Writer