Young Artist Wins Award in FY22 Toyota Dream Car USA Art Contest!
A car designed as a mythical creature with shelters in its wings where people could escape world calamities helped Rebecca Liu, age 10, Santa Clara, California win first place in her age category for her “The Dragon Car” artwork in the FY22 Toyota Dream Car USA Art Contest.
“The Dragon Car:” Wings of the Future Winning Artwork
A sixth grader at BASIS Independent in Silicon Valley, Rebecca was already drawing daily when she discovered the contest a few years ago. After entering three times, she ultimately won the Gold Award in 2022. Current events inspired her to think of ways that her car could transform what was happening in the world around her and help others.
“Rebecca saw how COVID-19, floods, and earthquakes adversely impacted people’s lives,” says Rebecca’s mom Jing Bai. “She wondered if a dragon car with magical powers could bring people to a better world. It took her almost two months to draw her idea using colored pencils, from conception to finalization.”
The shelters in the wings of Rebecca’s dragon vehicle are places where people can find peace, get cured, go on adventures, discover the world, connect with others, and learn more so they can safely navigate beyond natural catastrophes and the pandemic. “My dragon car has magical powers to help people get through the perils of these diseases and disasters,” said Rebecca.
The Toyota Dream Car USA Art Contest also inspired another exciting project that incorporates the STEAM approach to teaching and learning, combining science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math to guide student inquiry, discussion, and problem-solving. Presented in partnership by Toyota Motor North America, California State University Dominguez Hills (CSU-DH), and the Petersen Automotive Museum, university students create their own 3D interpretations of the contest’s top winning artworks.
Seven 3D Models of 2022 Winning Artwork Submissions on Display at Petersen Automotive Museum
Seven of this year’s 3D models – including one inspired by Rebecca’s “The Dragon Car” – are on view at the Petersen Automotive Museum in the Rob and Melani Walton Discovery Center (Saturday, October 29, 2022 through Sunday, March 26, 2023). For museum hours, visit www.petersen.org. Three there 3D models by grade school artists are displayed on the first floor of the Toyota Center for Innovation in STEM Education on the CSU-DH campus in the Science & Innovation Building (1000 E. Victoria St., Carson, CA 90747).
Through the work of Rebecca and many other young artists, Toyota is proud to hold a contest that inspires children and teens to dream about the future of cars while using art to inspire others to make an impact on the world. Now in its 12th year, the FY23 Toyota Dream Car USA Art Contest launched in the United States on October 1, 2022. Artwork by U.S. youth, ages 4-15, may be submitted online or by mail for this year’s U.S. contest through January 31, 2023. Entry forms for this year’s contest are available at www.ToyotaDreamCarUSA.com/entry-forms.
Toyota Motor Corporation in Japan held the first worldwide contest in 2004. Nearly 90 countries now host national contests. All countries submit their top nine winners to Japan as entries into the World Contest. To learn about the World Contest, visit www.Toyota-DreamCarArt.com.
About Toyota: Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. and North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands. During that time, Toyota has created a tremendous value chain as our teams have contributed to world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 38 million cars and trucks in North America, where we have 14 manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in Alabama (10 in the U.S.), and directly employ more than 47,000 people (over 36,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold 2.8 million cars and trucks (2.4 million in the U.S.) in 2018. Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.