Axalta Coating Systems, a global manufacturer of liquid and powder coatings, has announced that its 2016 Paint Outside the Can contest is now open. The contest, now in its second year, is an invitation to auto body customers to unleash their creativity using any Axalta-brand coating system to paint and decorate an unused, standard one-gallon paint can. Auto body paint repair requires many skills – problem solving, troubleshooting, critical thinking and time management, to name a few. Axalta launched the contest in 2015 to give customers an opportunity to use these skills in a fun, creative way and support their inner artists. The response was tremendous.

Submissions will be recognized and displayed via social media channels throughout the contest period. When the contest closes on September 16, 2016, six industry celebrities will choose six “Celebrity Picks” based on creativity, execution and degree of difficulty. In addition, six “Fan Favorites” will be chosen based on the number of “likes” the photos receive on Axalta’s Instagram page. Finally, one “Best-in-Show” grand prize winner will be selected from the six “Celebrity Picks”. Axalta will display the winning submissions at custom car shows and automotive events throughout the United States in 2016.

Axalta’s celebrity judges are:

•     Ron Coan, one of the leading painters in the automotive industry known for his show- stopping creations with Mobsteel at SEMA and his groundbreaking OEM concept cars
•     Rachel De Barros, chief marketing officer, host and executive producer of Gearhead Diva, a DIY car-building community and network that produces edutainment style videos for today’s social media generation
•     Ray Evernham, three-time NASCAR® champion crew chief and host of Velocity’s hit series AmeriCarna
•     Danny "Danny D" Galvez, a well-known custom automotive painter and pinstriper
•     Dave Lane, one of the top traditional-style car builders in the United States
•     Paul Quinn, a respected airbrush and pinstriping artist and custom paint instructor

The six winners of the “Celebrity Picks” and the six “Fan Favorites” will each receive a $250 gift card; a complimentary pass to the 2016 SEMA Show; an opportunity to be interviewed at the 2016 SEMA Show by Rev’n News on Rev’N, a broadcast television network dedicated to all things revving; a complimentary pass to Axalta’s VIP area at the 2016 SEMA Show that includes lunch; and prominent display of their submissions at the 2016 SEMA Show, subject to the official rules of the contest.

The “Best-in-Show” grand prize winner will receive a $500 gift card; hotel accommodations for two in Las Vegas, Nevada on November 1, 2016 through November 5, 2016; two complimentary passes to the 2016 SEMA Show; an opportunity to be interviewed by Rev’n News at the 2016 SEMA Show; two complimentary passes to Axalta’s VIP area at the 2016 SEMA Show that includes lunch; and prominent display of the winning submission at the 2016 SEMA Show, subject to the official rules of the contest.