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AVON, Ohio - Twenty-year-old Matthew Nupen will never lose his truck in a crowded parking lot in fact, it catches the eye of every passerby. That's because Nupen gave his truck an original and sticky makeover with duct tape! And, his duct tape design "Dragon" has earned him the top prize of $2,500 cash in the first annual Stuck in Traffic Contest, sponsored by Duck® brand Duct Tape.

Nupen, a resident of Morris, Minnesota, transformed his 1989 Chevy S-10 into a green dragon, complete with duct tape nostrils, fangs, spikes and scales. The dragon design beat 18 other duct-taped vehicles from 13 states and Canada. Rolling in help from his mom and friends, Nupen covered his truck bumper to bumper with 10 rolls of green, black, white, red, yellow and gray duct tape. Down to the finishing touches, his duct tape dragon took more than 50 hours of cutting, shaping and sticking.

Nupen got the idea to duct tape his vehicle when an uncle suggested he use the sticky stuff to cover rust spots on his first truck. Because it was fun, and he liked the way it looked, Nupen covered the entire truck with the gray tape. When he heard about the Stuck in Traffic Contest, he couldn't resist giving his new truck a duct tape makeover.
Nupen said that while some people stare at his duct-taped truck, most just laugh and smile when they see it. The best part is driving in rush-hour traffic. "People are sitting in traffic, no one's having fun they all look crabby. People usually smile when I pull up next to them."

In addition to Nupen, Henkel Consumer Adhesives, Inc., marketers of Duck brand Tape awarded $1,000 cash to 2nd Place Winner Laura Thompson of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, for her duct tape "Van Go," and $500 cash to Garrett Porter of Olathe, Kansas, for his duct tape design "Flames." In addition, several individuals, including David Prout of Sandusky, Ohio; Kristy Gomez of Union City, New Jersey; and Lena Le of Ypsilanti, Michigan, were named Honorable Mention Winners and received Duck Tape Sportswear packages.

Michelle Heffner, Digital Communications Manager for Henkel Consumer Adhesives, said she was impressed by the high quality of entries. "We were excited by the amount of detail on these vehicles, and overwhelmed by the creativity and originality these individuals used in giving their vehicle a duct tape makeover."

To view all of the entries in the 2002 Duck® brand Duct Tape Stuck in Traffic Contest, visit www.ducktapeclub.com/traffic/entries.asp.