Students Offer Future Vehicle Design Inspiration
Cars that make glaciers, vehicles that disinfect the earth, mobile solutions for cleaner water and flying contraptions that save the world were among the themes of artwork created by nine young artists selected as this year’s winners of the Toyota Dream Car USA art contest.
From the pool of Toyota’s nine U.S. winners, the Petersen Automotive Museum selected Jiawei (Jery) Chen, 14, of Florida to receive its inaugural Petersen Prestige Award for her Fly Higher with Toyota drawing.
“In addition to being a well-executed work of art with a remarkable composition, the museum selected Chen’s design because it aligns with our efforts to celebrate the past, present and future of the automobile. Her vehicles harken to automobile design of the 1950s, yet she brings them into the future, imagining a world of eco-friendly flying cars,” said Autumn Nyiri, associate curator, Petersen Automotive Museum.
Chen explained that creating art makes her happy.
“It allows me to express my ideas visually and share my happiness with others. I wanted to create a car that was innovative in a healthy environment,” she said.
Now in its 10th year, the Toyota Dream Car USA art contest is designed to inspire creativity in youth and imagine the future of mobility. The nine U.S. youth winners and three Honorable Mention recipients for this year’s contest are:
U.S. WINNERS – Age Category 1 (youth, ages 4-7 years)
- Gold Award: Gadget Toyota Car by Hahrin Vivian Chiang, 7, Santa Monica, California
- Silver Award: Disinfection Vehicle by Xinyu Yi, 6, Wellesley, Massachusetts
- Bronze Award: Pure Water Vehicle by Lea Haeun Shin, 6, Los Angeles
- Honorable Mention: Moon Car by Olivia Yoo, 7, South Lyon, Michigan
U.S. WINNERS – Age Category 2 (youth, ages 8-11 years)
- Gold Award: Ocean Eco Car by Brendan Park, 10, Los Angeles
- Silver Award: Dream Car That Makes Glaciers by Junyoung Kim, 10, Fairfax, Virginia
- Bronze Award: Saver of Earth by Reena Fu, 10, Diamond Bar, California
- Honorable Mention: The Nar-Whale Car by Grace Sun, 10, Livingston, New Jersey
U.S. WINNERS – Age Category 3 (youth, ages 12-15 years)
- Gold Award: Magical Bubble Car by Chloe Hyoleen Kim, 14, Issaquah, Washington
- Silver Award: Fly Higher with Toyota by Jiawei (Jery) Chen, 14, Montverde, Florida
- Bronze Award: Saving the Future by Olivia Hur, 12, La Crescenta, California
- Honorable Mention: Lightbulb Car by Lynn Sun, 12, Livingston, New Jersey
“Many of these young artists shared their joy and excitement that this contest brought to them as they imagined the future of mobility,” said Sean Suggs, group vice president, Toyota Social Innovation. “We thank the thousands of youth across the country who imagined amazing designs and worked so hard to create such unique works of art.”
In addition to the Petersen Automotive Museum, which will exhibit the winners’ works, this year, Toyota partnered with 10 other museums, 12 school districts and 19 dealerships across the United States to share information about the contest and distribute educational resources within their communities.
In Los Angeles, the effort continues with a unique collaboration involving undergraduate students from California State University, Dominguez Hills who will work over the coming summer to create 3D-printed interpretations of the contest’s award-winning designs.
Toyota Motor Corp. in Japan held the first worldwide Dream Car contest in 2004. Nearly 90 countries now host their own national contests.
