American Eagle Outfitters Selects Top Twelve Finalists in National 'L

American Eagle Outfitters Selects Top Twelve Finalists in National 'Live Your Life' Contest to Recognize Outstanding Teens and Young Adults

    Philanthropy Writers/Lifestyle Editors/Fashion Editors/Retail
    Writers

    WARRENDALE, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 19, 2005--

Everyday Achievers Previously Recognized in AE Stores Nationwide and Online at ae.com Will Help Determine Six Winners
    Leading lifestyle retailer American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (AE) has announced the top twelve finalists in its "Live Your Life" contest, a nationwide program encouraging teens and young adults to aim high, live large, and achieve more. The contest, which highlights AE's new Live Your Life campaign, is seeking authentic portraits of young people who want to do unique things with their lives and promises to award these achievers the resources they need to have their dreams fulfilled and inspire the world.
    Armed with input from the AE community who voted online at ae.com in March, the six everyday achievers (Jared McQueen, Haley Kilpatrick, Geneva Johnson, Kevin Roach, Tori Allen, and Rachel Doyle) who inspired the AE Live Your Life contest and were recognized by AE in stores and online earlier this year will meet with the top twelve finalists and help AE Home Office judges select winners. Six winners will be recognized in July in AE stores nationwide and on ae.com and receive substantial resources, support, and up to $25,000 from AE to help make their dreams a reality.
    "The top twelve finalists have amazing aspirations and really embody the spirit of the AE brand--living your life to the fullest in the truest way possible," said Michael James Leedy, chief marketing officer of American Eagle Outfitters. "While over 6,000 people entered to win, nearly 39,000 people voted for their favorite candidates. We are proud that AE's Live Your Life contest has had such a strong impact on teens and young adults nationwide."

    The top twelve Live Your Life finalists are as follows:

--	Kristen Karinshak of Leesburg, VA. 17-year-old Karinshak founded "Walking for Water," a movement that raises money to supply much-needed water to a landlocked West African village and hopes to take it to the next level.
--	Nikole Batista of Providence, RI. 19-year-old art student Batista dreams of creating an art collection for the blind, believing that art should be a multi-sensory experience that is accessible to all.
--	Grace Nixon of Rapid City, SD. Inspired by the lack of adequate housing in her hometown, 19-year-old Nixon's goal is to raise money for Habitat for Humanity and become a professional speaker, motivating others to help her cause.
--	Olivia Akerley of Salt Lake City, UT. 15-year-old Akerley's goal is to be on the US Freestyle Ski Team and compete in the 2010 Olympics.
--	Dan Dugan of Point Pleasant Beach, NJ. An avid snowboarder, 17-year-old Dugan is currently competing to go to nationals in Colorado and hopes to spend the summer snowboarding in New Zealand.
--	Brittany Conklin of Tempe, AZ. 25-year-old Conklin is passionate about music, and has founded her own promotions company "DesertGirl Promotions". Her dream is to do more to bring great music to the masses.
--	Shawn Brown of Traverse City, MI. A pre-med student, 20-year-old Brown took a medical mission trip to rural Kenya and hopes to create an ongoing volunteer effort for medical students to go abroad.
--	Brandon Rainey of Huntington Beach, CA. A political science and economics major at UCLA, 20-year-old Rainey dreams of opening his own financial services company which will provide guidance and investment services for minorities and disadvantaged families looking to send their kids to college.
--	Kellie Jurado of Roswell, NM. 17-year-old Jurado works with foster kids in her hometown and hopes to launch "Transitions," a program she designed to raise foster children's self-esteem through positive encouragement and continual support.
--	Cindy Williamson of Panama City Beach, FL. Williamson, age 17, hopes to build on a program she founded called "Mock Wedding," based on research that Alzheimer's patients will retrieve lost memories if they witness an event that reminds them of a personal experience.
--	Aaron Tang of New Haven, CT. Inspired by his grandfather, 21-year-old Tang founded a non-profit organization called Our Education to empower the student voice in education reform and make education a national priority.
--	Joe Boucher of Ottawa, ON. 21-year-old Boucher, who has never even seen the ocean, has always wanted to learn how to surf and hopes to do this when he finishes Carleton University.

    AE recently conducted a national online survey with research company Sovereign Marketing and revealed a prevalence of ambition and motivation among today's teens and young adults. Findings show that 86 percent have a special dream or goal, but almost all of them (85 percent) have not reached it yet. The survey, which took place January 2005 and included 1,043 individuals ages 15-25, also showed that the top barriers preventing this generation's dream fulfillment is "lack of money/resources" (41 percent) and "not knowing how to make it a reality" with 19 percent. Through the Live Your Life contest, AE strives to knock down those barriers.
    The Live Your Life contest ran from January 25 to February 22, 2005. To enter, AE asked teens and young adults across the country to describe their hopes, dreams, inspirations, and ambitions in a 300-word essay or a five-minute video/DVD. To view the profiles of the Live Your Life top twelve finalists visit www.ae.com.

    About American Eagle Outfitters

    American Eagle Outfitters (NASDAQ: AEOS) is a leading lifestyle retailer that designs, markets, and sells its own brand of relaxed, casual clothing for 15- to 25-year-olds, providing high-quality merchandise at affordable prices. AE's collection includes modern basics like jeans, cargo pants, and graphic Ts as well as a stylish assortment of cool accessories, outerwear and footwear. American Eagle Outfitters currently operates 780 AE stores in 49 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico and 70 AE stores in Canada. AE also operates via its Web business, www.ae.com, which offers additional sizes and styles of favorite AE merchandise.
    Through its charitable AE Foundation, American Eagle Outfitters raises funds and enlists volunteers for projects that improve the quality of life where associates and customers live, work and play. American Eagle Outfitters was the first corporate sponsor of Jumpstart and continues to play an active role in this nonprofit organization that pairs college students with preschoolers developing early learning skills.

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CONTACT: American Eagle Outfitters Emily Koplik Leon, 212-561-4993 or Euro RSCG Magnet Alexis Lipshultz, 212-367-6939

KEYWORD: PENNSYLVANIA NEW YORK INDUSTRY KEYWORD: CONSUMER/HOUSEHOLD APPAREL/TEXTILES RETAIL SOURCE: American Eagle Outfitters, Inc.

Copyright Business Wire 2005