**12-year-old student Louis Hagemann from Queensland wins top prize**
**More than 2,000 kids entered the 15th Toyota Dream Car Art Contest**
**Louis’ creation Powered by Nature provides a sustainable off-roading solution**
Queensland student, Louis Hagemann, has been judged the Australian winner of the annual Toyota Dream Car Art Contest, following more than 2,000 entries from aspiring artists.
12-year-old Louis let his imagination run wild to create a Dream Car of the future, focusing on important environmental issues.
Louis, from Queensland Trinity Lutheran College, said his winning entry was inspired by the Toyota 79 Series LandCruiser and took him six hours to create.
Titled Powered by Nature Louis said: “My off-road vehicle is powered by renewable energy, uses solar energy to drive and is covered in plants to help regenerate the air we breathe.”
The Toyota Dream Car Art Contest is run in partnership with not-for-profit education resources organisation Cool Australia. As the Grand Prize winner, Louis receives a $2500 Visa gift voucher for himself and a $2500 Visa gift voucher for his school.
Toyota Australia Chief Marketing Officer Vin Naidoo said this year’s entries show that kids are really thinking and caring about the current societal issues that concern them.
“We received so many extraordinary artistic creations in this year’s contest and it’s such a joy to see that Toyota is inspiring tomorrow’s designers and engineers,” Mr Naidoo said.
“It’s also very evident that key societal issues such as environment, sustainability, and happiness are at the forefront of Australian kid’s minds with each drawing portraying a solution to these current issues,” he said.
Prizes were also awarded to the top three entries in each of three age categories – under 8 years, 8-11 years, and 12-15 years – with the winners receiving a $275 Visa gift voucher.
Details of each finalist and what inspired their creations can be found below:
Under 8 Years Finalists
– Austin Cao, age 5, (NSW) with My Super Rocket Car said: “I had a dream. I was driving my super rocket car to space. My super rocket car has six fire wheels and I am the super captain driver and I can see purple clouds and stars, they are so beautiful. I like my super rocket car!”
– Sakura Terauchi, age 7 (NSW) with Fun Music Bus said: “Even on rainy day, Fun Music Bus can bring people happiness and joy. People smile, become kind and even birds sing. Music spills out of the bus and the bus keeps running!”
– Luke Wang, age 7 (NSW) with 2 in 1 flying car over dream land said: “This scene of a picturesque view over a magnificent dream world manifested by my very imagination. The orange and lime-green car that is portrayed in the centre of the picture is a piece that is formed by my dreams coming to life. With this freedom in the world of art, I’ve drawn the car flying like how I picture myself doing in an ideal world where everything is based along my favourite agendas. Can you spot any?”
8 – 11 Years Finalists
– Claudia Fields, age 10, (WA) with Toyota mending broken pieces car said: “When a problem arises the “Mending Broken Pieces” car will fix it! If it is a problem with a friend, graffiti on a wall, a virus, extreme weather, relationships between countries or a pollution problem, TOYOTA’s magnificent car will travel across the globe to solve it. The car breaks the problem up in to small tiny pieces so it can quickly process and correct them. Some problems can be little but some are giant and the car quickly fixes all types of problems making the world a better place for everyone!”
– Hana Lee, age 10 (NSW) with SES Toyota said: “My SES Toyota is your perfect eco-friendly emergency rescue car. Some of the SES Toyota’s key new features include filters that enable the car to turn the smoke from bush fires and/or the polluted air into clean, purified air, as well as a fireproof covering so that you could drive even through fire to rescue people as well as animals like koalas and kangaroos in danger. Additionally, the car is fueled by water so that we don’t pollute the environment more.”
– Dana Han age 9 (NSW) with The Eco-friendly Car said: “The dream car that I drew helps students and children get to school and daycare safely, relaxed and on time even in the busy morning. It has the appearance of a dragon but has the wings of an angel so that those who are in it are safely protected. It is bigger on the inside so that children can play freely. Passengers are made to feel that they are in nature because the car is filled with plants. My dream car is an environmentally friendly car that helps children breathe as if they are one with nature.”
12 – 15 Years Finalists
– Sebastian Atra, age 12 (NSW) with Acoustic Time Machine said: “This sleek car of the future has several unique features. Firstly, it is a time machine that can travel to any year that the driver selects to enjoy the music of that era. Instead of using air polluting fossil fuels, this car harnesses the acoustic energy produced by the music and converts it into energy that can power the car. This dream car combines two of my favourite things – cars and music!”
– Matilda Money, age 15 (WA) with Cosmos Exploration Rover said: “Space is one of our universes most intriguing secrets. 96% is yet to be explored by scientists, meaning who knows what else is hiding beyond the sky we see every night. The Cosmos Exploration Rover is an innovative design of a car and a space shuttle mixed into one. It flies around space, taking photos with the cameras on each side of the car and sending them down to NASA to study. Flying at light speed, the Cosmos Exploration Rover uses biodiesel as an eco-friendly alternative to petrol, whilst cleaning the polluted oxygen from the earth below. With bright colours and a Toyota flag on top, the Cosmos Exploration Rover is an iconic car that helps save our earth and explore the abyss of space.”
