U.S. Winners of Toyota Dream Car Art Contest Announced

February 25, 2014 by Toyota

Seven-Member Judging Panel included actor Cheech Marin, Motor Trend Magazine Editor-in-Chief Edward Loh and Toyota's Senior Creative Designer Craig Kember

2/25/2014

TORRANCE, Calif., February 25, 2014 – Toyota announces the 2014 U.S. Winners of the annual Toyota Dream Car Art Contest presented globally. The nine U.S. Winners will receive an iPad Mini and an award certificate acknowledging their accomplishment. Their artwork now advances to represent the U.S. as the nation's World Contest Semi-Finalists to compete among entrants from over 70 countries. In August 2014, the top 30 young artists selected worldwide will win an all-expenses-paid trip to Toyota City, Japan and participate in the World Contest awards ceremony, which includes a tour of a Toyota manufacturing plant.

The nine 2014 U.S. Winners were selected by a national panel of judges who reviewed artwork by 31 U.S. finalists; the latter of which had been selected by nearly 300 Toyota associates from a pool of 100 semi-finalists. The U.S. Winners' artwork is showcased online at www.tfsinthecommunity.com. All semi-finalists' artwork is viewable at www.flickr.com/photos/tfsinthecommunity/sets/72157640058160984/.

Judges who participated in the selection of the U.S. Winners at an event held at Toyota headquarters in Torrance, Calif., were:

Cheech Marin, Actor, Comedian, Director, and Art Collector

Edward Loh, Editor-in-Chief, Motor Trend Magazine

Craig Kember, Senior Creative Designer at Toyota's Calty Design Research

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Mike Groff, President & CEO, Toyota Financial Services

Karen Ideno, VP of Product and Marketing, Toyota Financial Services

Paxton Gagnet, Executive General Manager, John Elway's Crown Toyota Scion

Shelley Gagnet, Community Relations Director, John Elway's Crown Toyota Scion

Video of the judging can be found at: http://www.youtube.com/v/ym7iO14qcgY.

'If you take a look at the artwork these kids created, you see that not only have they designed a dream car, many have incorporated their dream car into an ideal future environment and society,' said actor and art collector, Cheech Marin. 'These are more than aspirational, they are inspirational. These are true pieces of art.'

'As a first-time judge, I was blown away by the quality of the artwork in each age group,' said Motor Trend's Edward Loh. 'Not only was there significant artistic prowess on display, but there were deeply moving humanitarian messages in many of the pieces. Who says kids these days don't care about cars or the planet? Kudos to Toyota for supporting such an inspiring program!'

'It is amazing to see the talent and creativity of the young artists in the Toyota Dream Car Art Contest,' said Craig Kember, Senior Creative Designer at Calty Design Research. 'I am blown away by their ability to combine large social issues with artistic and beautiful vehicle creations to come up with new and unique solutions for the future of cars. The future of car design is bright.'

The Toyota Dream Car Art Contest is an annual contest designed to inspire creativity in youth and imagine the future of mobility. From October 1 through December 14, 2013, youth, ages 4-15, across the U.S. were invited to create and submit a drawing of their idea of a 'Dream Car.'

Winners of the worldwide Toyota Dream Car Art Contest are chosen from three age categories (under 8 years old; 8-11 years old; and 12-15 years old), and judging is based on three criteria: execution of concept; uniqueness; and artistry.

U.S. WINNERS

CATEGORY 1 (Under 8 Years)

Gold: Martian Toyota Truck by Enoch Christian Kim, age 7, Little Neck, NY

Silver: My Music Car by Leah Choi, age 7, Los Angeles, CA

Bronze: Inside Martian Toyota Truck by Enoch Christian Kim, age 7, Little Neck, NY

CATEGORY 2 (8-11 Years)

Gold: Helping Car by Sarah Kong, age 11, Los Angeles, CA

Silver: Future Car by Sally Qiu, age 11, Corona, CA

Bronze: Food Processor Car by Elliot Chang, age 9, Rancho Cucamonga, CA

CATEGORY 3 (12-15 Years)

Gold: Toyota Camera Car by Lauren Park, age 14, Irvine, CA

Silver: Child Rescue Mobile (CRM) by Tengku Shafikah, age 13, New York, NY

Bronze: Cable Wheel Automobile by Gene Whang, age 14, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA

History: The Gold Award Winners from last year's World Contest were from Thailand, Malaysia, and Romania. The first international contest was held in 2004 by Toyota Motor Corporation in Japan with the dual goals of inspiring children to understand the importance of having a dream while, at the same time, encouraging them to become interested in cars by designing 'Dream Cars' of their imagination.

U.S. FINALISTS (all 31 listed in alphabetical order)

CATEGORY 1 (Under 8 Years): Leah Choi, age 7, Los Angeles, CA; Angelina Feng, age 5, Eastvale, CA; Melody Gao, age 7, Corona, CA; Andrew Guo, age 5, Corona, CA; Enoch Christian Kim, age 7 (two submissions), Little Neck, NY; William Jae Hu Lee, age 6, Los Angeles, CA; William S.J. Lee, age 7, Los Angeles, CA; Edward Yang, age 7, Corona, CA; Joyce Yim, age 7, Irvine, CA

CATEGORY 2 (8-11 Years): Ethan Byeon, age 10, Crescenta, CA; Elliot Chang, age 9, Rancho Cucamonga, CA; Hana Choi, age 9, Los Angeles, CA; Shraddha Gatla, age 10, Troy, MI; Kacey Kim, age 11, Los Angeles, CA; Sarah Kong, age 11, Los Angeles, CA; Anne Lin, age 9, Hacienda Heights, CA; Ekien Nguyen, age 10, Montgomery, IL; Sally Qiu, age 11, Corona, CA; Jai Rhee, age 11, Los Angeles, CA

CATEGORY 3 (12-15 Years): Ashley Ayeri, age 12, Ashburn, VA; Kathie Fang, age 14, San Diego, CA; Annette Kim, age 12, Los Angeles, CA; Joseph Lee, age 15, Fresh Meadows, NY; Jean Park, age 13, Irvine, CA; Lauren Park, age 14, Irvine, CA; Katelyn Rho, age 15, Irvine, CA; Tengku Shafikah, age 13, New York, NY; Michelle Son, age 15, Irvine, CA; Gene Whang, age 14, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA; Emily Whiteman, age 12, Russiaville, IN