Five area high school students will feel what it's like to be a professional model thanks to a contest put together by Vanis Salon and Day Spa.

For more than 20 years, Vanis (with locations in Crown Point, Schererville and Valparaiso) has used clients -- not professional models -- in its photo shoots.

"It's evolved over the years," said Vanis owner Chris Valavanis. "For the last eight to 10 years, we've focused on a theme."

Valavanis said Olga Pellegrino, Vanis director of operations, had an idea for a teen shoot.

"It was a neat twist on the theme to represent the fashion sense of a typical high school kid in Northwest Indiana," Valavanis said.

In October, the student entrants submitted a photo and an essay on why they wanted a makeover. More than 100 teens entered the contest, and Vanis staff members whittled those down to 25 earlier this month. The final five winners, once chosen, will attend a professional photo shoot Jan. 25, and the billboards featuring the winning students will be up around Northwest Indiana later this year.

Valavanis said it was tough deciding between all the entrants.

"We don't want all the same look. We want a variety of looks," he said.

The 25 students chosen as finalists were treated to a pizza party and a free Vanis hair makeover.

Finalist Lindsay Martinez, a senior at Hanover Central High School, liked that normal girls had a chance to be on a billboard.

"How often do you get that chance," she said. "Just to make it this far is a surprise."

Crown Point senior Becky Cygan said the contest has been a fun experience.

"I always wanted to try modeling," she said.