Toronto, Ontario — If the past year has shown us as a society anything, it is that adults make terrible decisions and we should start deferring to children on most matters—perhaps especially in the field of automotive design.
“Over the years, the Toyota Dream Car Art Contest has evolved from an art competition to an opportunity for children to bring forward their world-changing ideas,” said Larry Hutchinson, president and CEO of Toyota Canada.
“I’m truly impressed by their ideas—from making our planet more sustainable to fighting viruses and bacteria, to making the world more inclusive through physical accessibility.”
Hundreds of young Canadians shared their inspirational and innovative designs for a ‘dream car’ to help make the world a better place, and three finalists were chosen in each category:
Under 8 Years Old
Yuffie Chen, age 6, Vancouver, B.C. Yuffie’s “Weather Car” not only forecasts the weather (“sunshine, snow, rain, wind, rainbows or lightning”), but also flies around the world to protect it from global warming. The “Weather Car” delivers snow to the Arctic to rescue polar bears and rain to the Amazon to extinguish forest fires.
Emily Hao, age 6, Oakville, Ont. Emily’s entry – “The Shopping Car” – makes shopping more accessible for everyone by allowing them to fly around stores to collect items. It comes with an “auto-arm grabber” which helps reach items in high places and carry heavy goods.
Bellina Man, age 6, Maple, Ont. Bellina’s entry – “Planet Forerunner” – turns space debris into new and livable planets. “Planet Forerunner” also brings hope to humans on Earth, as we look to travel, explore and live on new planets in the future.
8 to 11 Years Old
Chantel Mei, age 11, Calgary, Alta. Chantel’s entry – “Ying Yang” – turns bad into good to clean and protect our ocean and wildlife. “Ying Yang” sucks in polluted water and breaks down debris to create marine wildlife.
Shaivee Bhatt, age 11, Brampton, Ont. Shaivee’s “BeeMobile” takes care of the bees that play a vital role in our ecosystem. It keeps harmful pesticides away from the bees so they can pollinate flowers, grow honey and “live a sweet long life”.
Lindsay Qui Ru Lin, age 8, Vancouver, B.C. Lindsay’s “Back to the Ecology” is a turtle-shaped underwater vehicle that offers refuge and fresh water to fish, mammals and other marine wildlife. The “Back to Ecology” vehicle also helps restore our oceans by removing garbage from our waters and giving our animals a pollution-free home.
12 to 15 Years Old
Nathalie Dai, age 14, Vancouver, B.C. Nathalie’s entry – “Sportecc” – stands for “sport, electric charging car”. “Sportecc” is powered by human exercise, “a renewable energy source”, and motivates people to live a healthier lifestyle.
Mike Huang, age 12, Vancouver, B.C. Mike’s “OALPS Explorer” stands for “oceanic, animal life preservation society”. The “OALPS Explorer” allows humans to explore our oceans, and combines with “med-bots” programmed to help injured animals.
Harvey Jiang, age 12, Scarborough, Ont. Harvey’s “Virus Be Gone” is a mobile airborne disease exterminator to save society from pandemics by purifying our air. The vehicle’s three-filter engine sucks in harmful air and converts it into clean air, while a UV light adds an extra layer of protection by killing any remaining bacteria.
A panel of distinguished Canadian judges was tasked with assessing hundreds of entries from kids across Canada. In addition to Hutchinson, this year’s Canadian judges included:
- Jennifer Flanagan, CEO of Actua
- Petrina Gentile, automotive journalist, children’s book author and publisher
- Buzz Bishop, journalist, broadcaster and blogger at CyberBuzz Media
- Caitlin Keeley, Executive Creative Director at Dentsu McGarryBowen
