A solar-powered, babysitting car aimed at reducing pollution while providing a safe and fun environment for kids was one of the nine award-winning concepts in the 2023 Toyota Dream Car USA Art Contest. The program seeks to inspire creativity in youth and encourage innovative ideas for future mobility.\
After deciding on her concept, it took Lingfei Coco Truong, age 12, almost two months to design her “Fun Zone in Traffic Jam” artwork using markers and colored pencils. Her hard work and creativity paid off as her artwork was selected as the Gold Award recipient in her age group. This year’s contest winners are:
CATEGORY 1: YOUTH, 4-7 YEARS
Gold Award: “Magic Dream Car” by Mirabelle Gu, age 7, Pasadena, CA
Silver Award: “My Fantasy Kitty Ride” by Melody Chang, age 6, Douglaston, NY
Bronze Award: “Electric Bunny Helping Car” by Sixian Jiang, age 7, Dublin, CA
CATEGORY 2: YOUTH, 8-11 YEARS
Gold Award: “Aquarium Car” by Kaavya Jethwani, age 10, Frisco, TX
Silver Award: “Around the World Academy” by Seungah Chung, age 11, Beverly Hills, CA
Bronze Award: “Birdy Vacation Car” by Allison Xinyu Yi, age 8, Wellesley, MA
CATEGORY 3: YOUTH, 12-15 YEARS
Gold Award: “Fun Zone in Traffic Jam” by Lingfei Coco Truong, age 12, Walnut, CA
Silver Award: “An Artist’s Dream” by Sara Kim, age 12, Kenmore, WA
Bronze Award: “Ocean’s Magician” by Ella Kim, age 14, Austin, TX
The Petersen Automotive Museum awarded the Petersen Prestige Award to Ella Kim, age 14, of Austin, Texas, for her “Ocean’s Magician” artwork.
“So much of car design is about identifying a problem, then designing and engineering the solution to that problem, but attention must be given to the user experience. Ella Kim carefully thought about her vehicle’s propulsion and the materials made in crafting it, as well as the comfort and enjoyability of the people riding inside. Her beautiful artwork addresses a global concern in a thoughtful and artful way,” said Autumn Nyiri, the museum’s associate curator.
Toyota Motor Corporation in Japan held the first worldwide contest in 2004. Nearly 90 countries now host national contests. The U.S. contest began in 2012. All countries submit their top nine winners to Japan as entries to a world contest.
