Zoe Hong, East High grad (class of '98) and formerly known in Anchorage as Jennifer Hong, is among the handful designers hoping that the public picks their design for the gown that will be worn by the model who presents the Oscar statues at the Academy Awards on Feb. 27.

Hong, who also worked for Anchorage Opera in the costume department at one time, is still a small-town girl in this competition. She now lives in Oakland, Calif. All of the other designers in the contest are from Los Angeles, New York or Chicago.

The public gets a say, with online voting for their favorites at oscar.go.com/award-show/designer-challenge/vote:

Voting in the Oscar Designer Challenge closes Feb 21st.