Academy Announces “Oscars® Designer Challenge 2011”

Online Voting at Oscar.com to Determine Gown Worn on 83rd Academy Awards Show

Beverly Hills, CA – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is inviting the public to vote on an element of its annual Oscar® telecast.  In “Oscars Designer Challenge 2011,” nine up-and-coming fashion designers are vying to have their original evening gown worn by one of the Awards escorts during the 83rd Academy Awards on Sunday, February 27.  Members of the fashion and entertainment press will be introduced to the ten designers and their creations at a runway fashion show on February 15 at the Academy’s Beverly Hills headquarters.

The designers participating in “Oscars Designer Challenge 2011” are Angela Avanesyan, Los Angeles; Katelyn Bischof, New York; Octavio Carlin, Los Angeles; Miriam Cecilia Carlson, Chicago; James De Colon, Chicago; Zoe Hong, Oakland, California;  Borris Powell, Chicago; Natalia Romano, Los Angeles; and Clay Sadler, Los Angeles.  An advisory committee selected the designers and paired them with Los Angeles-based models, one of whom will wear the public’s favorite gown as she brings Oscar statuettes onto the stage of the Kodak Theatre on Oscar Night®.

Voting for “Oscars Designer Challenge 2011” begins February 15 at 11:59 p.m. PT at Oscar.com, the official website of the Academy Awards, where movie fans and fashion lovers will be able to see footage of the gowns and cast their vote.  Anyone over the age of 18 can register to participate and will be eligible to vote once a day through 11:59 p.m. PT on February 21, 2011, when the voting period ends.

Also beginning on February 16, “Oscars Designer Challenge: Behind the Dress,” a Web series documenting the competition, will be viewable on Oscar.com daily through February 20.  A recap episode with an interview with the winner will be viewable on February 28.

The winning design will be announced first during “Oscars Red Carpet Live,” the live arrivals show that will air on ABC beginning at 4 p.m. PT on February 27.

In addition to having his or her winning design worn on the live telecast, the winning designer will receive two tickets to attend the Oscars ceremony.

A team of expert hairstylists from Roy Teeluck Salon and 83rd Academy Awards head makeup artist Bruce Grayson will prepare the models for their high-fashion stroll down the runway.  Shoes by Stuart Weitzman and jewelry by emerging jewelers Jay Carlile, Diamond in the Rough and Gabriele Frantzen will complete the looks.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2010 will be presented on Sunday, February 27, 2011, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live on the ABC Television Network.  The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

ABOUT THE ACADEMY
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world’s preeminent movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most accomplished men and women working in cinema. In addition to the annual Academy Awards – in which the members vote to select the nominees and winners – the Academy presents a diverse year-round slate of public programs, exhibitions and events; provides financial support to a wide range of other movie-related organizations and endeavors; acts as a neutral advocate in the advancement of motion picture technology; and, through its Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Film Archive, collects, preserves, restores and provides access to movies and items related to their history. Through these and other activities the Academy serves students, historians, the entertainment industry and people everywhere who love movies.

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