Toyota Ireland has announced the finalists of its 2022 Toyota Dream Car Art Contest. Nine of the best drawings and artworks have reached the final, and the nine young designers who dreamed them up will now go forward to the global contest finals. The ultimate winner will take home a $5,000 prize and another $10,000 for their school.
The contest has been running since 2004, and through it, Toyota hopes to; "bring together children of all abilities, backgrounds, ethnicities, genders and interests and showcase their creativity and originality."
So, the nine finalists are: Mia Wiercioch Chinatamunnee, age seven, from Cavan), whose "Whale Car" won the seven-and-under category. (Runners up in this category were Emma Gu, also aged seven, from Dublin, with her "Water Making Car" and Adam Goku Wiercioch Chinatamunnee, aged five, from Dublin with his "Cat Car").
Preksha Tushar Utekar, aged nine, from Mullingar, won the 8-11 year category with her "Supra Martian Car". (The runners up here were Johan Felix Peter, age 10, from Tullamore for his "To the Moon and Back!" design, and Sophie Maria Vaughan aged eight, from Ballyscanlon, with "Hydro Girl Power").
In the 12-15 year category, Elizabeth McElroy ages 15, from Dublin, took first prize with her "Bee Green" car. (The runners-up were Genevieve Claire Daunt Brennan age 12, from Dublin with the "Tree-eco Car" and Amy (Ziyi) He, age 12, from Dublin with "Trisha the Terrific Toyota Turtle").
There were also 'Honourable Mentions' for Jane Gogarty, age 15, from Dublin, and her "Life after Trash" design; Adam Tom Kiely, age 11, from Rathkeale with "The SonicMobile"; and Jayden Joseph Wilmott age 11, from Rathkeale, for "The Space Mobile".
Zoe Bradley, Head of Marketing Communications, Toyota Ireland, said "We have witnessed an incredible selection of original and creative entries for this year's Toyota Dream Car Art Contest. We are continuously amazed by the calibre and quality of the fantastic designs that our young people have entered throughout the competition.
"Over the past 15 years, we have seen some incredible creations, exceptional talent and of course, unique designs in the competition and we believe it is a fantastic opportunity for school-goers across the country to showcase their creative flair and fresh thinking. With Toyota's commitment to inventiveness and imagination, we take great pride in coordinating this competition each year as it allows us to gain an insight into the minds of the inventors and creators of the future. We were delighted to see the true passion for the climate and environment come through in our entrants' creative designs, which is what our brand promise 'Built for a Better World' is centred around.
"For this year's competition, which was open to students of all abilities, we were thrilled to see the hard work and effort put in by some of the country's brightest minds to create incredible art as well as give us food for thought for the future. We at Toyota Ireland wish all of the finalists the very best of luck with the next stage of the competition and we hope to see an Irish entry in the final."