Haley Cavanaugh and her boyfriend, Keith Porter, both 17, are finalists in the national Stuck at Prom Duck Tape contest.

FARMINGTON HILLS — Since she was a freshman at Mercy High School, Haley Cavanaugh had her mind on one thing that wasn’t included in her college application — but it could help pay for it.

Cavanaugh and her boyfriend, Keith Porter, both 17, are finalists in the national Stuck at Prom Duck Tape contest, which awards the top three couples — and their schools — with cash prizes for having the most innovative prom outfits made from their Duck Tape brand duct tape.

“I thought it was really cool, and it was something I wanted to do,” said Cavanaugh, who will attend Grand Valley State University in the fall. “Every year, I kept the Web site in my mind and checked out the kind of dresses they had.”

The couple is in the top 10 of 163 couples nationwide who entered the Henkel Corporation contest, in its eighth year. Cavanaugh, Porter and Mercy High School each will get $3,000 if they place first, $2,000 if they place second and $1,000 if they place third in the competition.

When Cavanaugh asked Porter, of Grosse Pointe Shores, if he would go to the prom with her, he happily accepted.

“But she said, ‘Well, there’s one condition — do you want to wear duct tape?’” he said. “And I said, ‘Who wouldn’t want to wear duct tape?’”

Cavanaugh’s next hurdle was her mom, Shelly, whose help she needed to make her duct tape dreams come true.

“I said, ‘Are you kidding?’”  Shelly Cavanaugh said. “I was a little surprised, but I like a good craft.”

Over spring break, Cavanaugh, and her mom set to work using purple, white, black and chrome tape. About two months and 25 rolls of tape later, Cavanaugh had a Duck Tape dress, corsage, purse, earrings and bracelet, and Porter had a Duck Tape-covered suit, shoes, top hat, cane and bowtie.

Porter’s suit was created by covering an existing suit with the tape, then cutting out the holes in the pattern of the jacket. Though the suit was comfortable, Porter, who will start his senior year at University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy in the fall, said there was one little problem.

“Dancing, it’s really hot, so you’re sweating like mad,” he said. “But nobody can tell you’re sweating because the duct tape blocks it.”

Cavanaugh’s dress was made from scratch with fabric first, and then covered with the duct tape. A hula-hoop helped the skirt stand away — and made it difficult to sit in the limousine the couple took to prom. She even dyed some of her hair purple to match the dress.

“I figured if we were going to do this, we might as well go all out,” she said.

Now it’s up to online voters to decide who wins the competition. Voting is open on www.ducktapeclub.com until June 29, and the winners will be announced July 1. People can vote for Cavanaugh and Porter — couple No. 4199 — once daily for each e-mail address they register on the site.

“I am encouraging all Mercy alumnae to vote for Haley. If Haley wins, Mercy wins!” Mercy High School Alumnae Coordinator Jennifer Stark said. “The creativity that Haley demonstrates is a hallmark of a Mercy education. Mercy girls make a difference — even with duct tape.”

Cavanaugh, who will be pre-med at GVSU, said the attention and realizing a four-year idea have been fun.

“I really enjoyed it, even though it was stiff and hard to dance in,” she said. “I would like the money for college, but it was really fun — even if we don’t win.”

You can reach Staff Writer Kirsten Buys at kbuys@candgnews.com or at (586) 498-1030.