News File Photo Scott Stepanski stands next to a display of his handcrafted leather bags, for sale at Myers Fashions in downtown Alpena. Stepanski’s business is called Red Bottom Leather. Each unique bag features his logo in red on the bottom.

ALPENA — Local leather artisan Scott Stepanski has moved on to the next level in the DIY Hero competition, thanks to the voting of his friends and fans.

Stepanski, owner of Red Bottom Leather, creates unique handcrafted bags of many colors, textures and styles. Because he makes them all by hand, each bag is one of a kind. They are available at Myers Fashions.

Voting is open through March 31 to determine who makes it to the top 10 in his group. You can vote for free once per day, or you can pay to vote as many times as you want per day. To vote, go to redbottomleather.com and click on the link at the top of the page.

The overall winner of this competition will be featured in Make Magazine and win $25,000.

The third round will narrow it to top five, from March 31 to April 7. The field will continue to be narrowed between April 7 and May 5, when the overall DIY Hero winner will be announced.

DIY Hero will be donating 75% of the net proceeds from the competition to the American Lung Association. For more information, visit diyhero.org.