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

March 15, 2018 by Toyota

Thirteen-member Judging Panel included actor Cheech Marin and automotive designer Bryan Benedict of Mattel's Hot Wheels

Plano, Texas, March 15, 2018 – The solutions to our world's current challenges just might reside somewhere in the space where automotive technology and visual art intersect. Nine talented young artists certainly believe so – their visions of cars of the future earned them recognition today as national winners of the annual Toyota Dream Car Art Contest.

Now World Contest Semi-Finalists, the artwork by these nine youth advances to represent the United States in competing against entrants from over 80 countries. In August 2018, the top 30 World Winners will win an all-expenses-paid trip to Toyota City, Japan, and participate in an awards ceremony, which includes a tour of a Toyota manufacturing plant. The nine 2018 U.S. Winners were chosen by a national panel of thirteen judges who viewed artwork by 39 U.S. finalists; the latter of which had been selected by 1,107 Toyota team members nationwide from a pool of 103 U.S. semi-finalists. The judges were:

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

Mike Groff, President and Chief Executive Officer, Toyota Financial Services Americas Region

Yeongmin Kong, Lead Designer at Toyota's CALTY Design Research, Inc.

Lynn Beckwith, Host, That Car Lady and Co-Host, Auto MOJO Radio - CBS Sports 650AM

Bryan Benedict, Design Manager, Mattel's Hot Wheels

Pete Carey, Group Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Product, Toyota Financial Services

Karen Ideno, Vice President, Product, Marketing, Brand, Corporate Social Responsibility & Communications, Toyota Financial Services

Benito Huerta, Artist, Curator & Writer + Art Professor & Gallery at University of Texas-Arlington

Laura Grundler, Visual Art Coordinator, Plano Independent School District

Margie Johnson Reese, Executive Director, Wichita Falls Alliance for Arts and Culture + Arts Management Professional

Kara Brinley, Vice President & General Manager, Longo Toyota of Prosper

Suzy Sloan Jones, Executive Director, ArtCentre of Plano

Lynette Wallace, Executive Director, Orange Show Center for Visionary Art & Houston Art Car Parade

'Since 2013, I've had the privilege of serving as a national judge for this contest, and I continue to be amazed by the artistic talent and unique concepts expressed by the young artists who participate,' said comedian and art collector Cheech Marin. 'Each year, their artwork themes reveal how keenly aware they are of the world around them, and their creative solutions give me hope for our future.'

'The fact that eight of our winners this year are girls is great news for our profession,' said Bryan Benedict, senior staff design with Mattel's Hot Wheels. 'Their design concepts were incredible, and now if we can keep these girls interested in automotive design as a career option, we're golden.'

'We truly look forward to this contest every year,' said Mike Groff, president & CEO of Toyota Financial Services. 'With so much going on in the world, there's a great deal for a young mind to process and understand. So, it's particularly encouraging to see these kids channel their thought, creativity, and talent into beautiful works of art that express their visions, hopes, and dreams of a brighter future and a better world.'

The Toyota Dream Car Art Contest is a worldwide contest presented annually, designed to inspire creativity in youth and imagine the future of mobility. Winners of the Toyota Dream Car Art Contest in participating countries worldwide are chosen from three age categories (under 8 years old; 8-11 years old; and 12-15 years old), with judging based on three criteria: artistry, uniqueness, and execution of concept. The first international contest was held in 2004 by Toyota Motor Corporation in Japan. This is the 7th year of the U.S. contest presented by Toyota Financial Services.

Here are the nine U.S. winners of this year's national contest:

U.S. WINNERS - CATEGORY 1 (Under 8 Years of Age)

Gold: Toyota Dream Car Of Fun by Avni Choudepally, age 7; Morrisville, NC

Silver: Toyota Homeless Helper by Wesley Lam, age 6; Jackson Heights, NY

Bronze: Toyota Science Car by Grace Sun, age 7; Livingston, NJ

U.S. WINNERS - CATEGORY 2 (8-11 Years of Age)

Gold: Toyota - Make The World A Better Place by Lynn Sun, age 9; Livingston, NJ

Silver: The Rebuilding Car by Zia Yewon Lee, age 8; Medina, WA

Bronze: Where to Next? by Nicole X. Zhong, age 11; Northville, MI

U.S. WINNERS - CATEGORY 3 (12-15 Years of Age)

Gold: The Dragon Dream Car by Audrey Tianyu Zhang, age 14; Levittown, NY

Silver: Race Through Time Car by Jia Y. Zhu, age 13; San Diego, CA