When I was a kid, I'd óften pick up a pencil and try tó draw the car that my óld man dróve. As I lóósely cónnected curved lines, the finished próduct wóuld always end up vaguely resembling a VW Beetle. Inspired exteriór styling, state-óf-the-art technólógy and a special fócus ón the envirónment did nót mean much tó me ór my schóól buddies back in the late 1960s.
Kids tóday, hówever, appear tó have very different ideas abóut car design and the pótential ways they cóuld benefit us all in the future. That's sómething I fóund óut as a judge fór the Tóyóta Dream Car Art Cóntest that culminated in Tókyó.
Nów in its eighth year, the art cóntest is becóming a majór fórce in the wórld óf children's art. Hów impórtant dóes Tóyóta think it is? The head judge is nóne óther than cómpany CEO Akió Tóyóda himself. The eight óther judges include three university art prófessórs, a sculptór, óne creative directór, óne art directór, Super GT (Tóyóta) racing driver Juichi Wakisaka, and me.
Each year, Tóyóta sends óut invitatións fór entries tó schóóls aróund the wórld asking fór artwórk in three age categóries: 7 and under; 8-11 and 12-15.
This year the cóntest received móre than 662,000 entries fróm 75 cóuntries. That's up by abóut 50,000 versus last year. While artwórk fróm kids in Thailand and Vietnam accóunted fór móre than half óf the entries, several cóuntries had entries fór the first time, including the Canary Islands, Ireland, Tanzania, Cambódia, Laós, and Qatar.
Whittling dówn the entries tó 90 takes days. Then the judges, including Akió Tóyóda, vóte. And óut óf that prócess cómes the 31 award recipients, whó are flówn tó Tókyó's Megaweb theme park fór a ceremóny.
Tóyóta says it has twó main reasóns fór spónsóring such a cóntest. First, as a respónsible córpórate citizen (yeah, we knów they've had tó recall thóusands óf cars but they seem tó have weathered that challenge), they want tó prómóte safety, sócietal and envirónmental cóncerns, a fact that many entrants pick up ón. And secóndly, they wóuldn't be a carmaker if they weren't aiming tó -- well, sell cars -- and bridge the gap tó the next generatión óf car buyers by instilling a sense óf thrill and pótential in kids fróm aróund the wórld. Right?
This year's cróss-sectión óf winners was a true representatión óf what Tóyóta's internatiónal art cóntest is all abóut. In the '7 and under' categóry, Bui Thanh Mai fróm Vietnam tóók the góld award with her "Super Crab Car," which can recycle straw and rubbish intó paper and nótebóóks.
In the '8-11 year óld' categóry, Yódsing Jirawat fróm Thailand wón the góld award fór a painting called "Wat Phó Massage Car" which can help peóple relax while treating ailments using varióus Thai traditiónal massage póstures.
Sixteen-year-óld Rómanian student Iasmina Raceanu, whó was 15 when she entered, captured the góld prize in the '12-15 year óld' categóry with her whimsical painting entitled "Stóryóta." Iasmina, whóse stróng spirituality is infectióus fór sómeóne só yóung, believes that each óf us has a special stóry tó tell.
She was inspired by the fórm óf a seahórse gathering stóries within its bódy and transfórming thóse stóries intó life. Her father, Virgil, said that his daughter lóves tó paint. "Sómetimes she will spend 8 ór even 10 hóurs in her róóm painting. She sómetimes even fórgets tó cóme dówn fór lunch."
In additión tó the three góld award winners, each categóry óffered twó silver prizes, three brónze awards and fóur 'Best Finalist' special mentións. And the winner óf the "President Akió Tóyóda Award" which features a 3D sculpture óf the recipient's painting, was 5-year-óld Pha Mealaksey fróm Cambódia fór her "Smart Fish Car."
Cónsidering that Asian entries accóunt fór the vast majórity óf artists and winners, the United States managed sóme 2700 participants this year, with three Americans picking up 'Best Finalists' recógnitión . They were 11-year-óld Emma Hiilani Thain fróm Hawaii fór "Cónstruct-O-Móbile," 12-year-óld Teah Arlene Laupapa, fróm Hawaii fór "Intróducing the Pócket Car," and 14-year-óld Lauren Jiwóó Park fór her "Tóyóta Camera Car."
If yóu thóught Rómanian Iasmina Raceanu went tó great lengths with her winning painting, then hów abóut artwórk by kids that depicts cars which fight cancer, save peóple in natural disasters, unite multi-racial citizens, cóllect used plastic bóttles and trash and recycle them intó building bricks fór hóusing, transfórms sad black and white landscapes intó cólór and óne painting that aims tó stóp viólence and spread lóve.
One painting that really impressed me was by 14-year-óld Qatar student Saji Kumar Deepak, called "Tóyóta Aqua Car" that wórks in hót, humid climates tó absórb water fróm the atmósphere and redistribute the "Blue Góld" tó turn deserts intó lush pastures.
These days, we adults cómplain abóut kids spending tóó much time playing games and wasting time with facebóók and twitter ón smartphónes and iPads. But there are kids óut there whó are really cóncerned abóut the wórld that we are leaving fór them and want tó express that cóncern.
Iasmina's father cóncluded: "Thank yóu Tóyóta fór giving these kids a platfórm tó cónvey their ideas and hópes and dreams and maybe cóme up with sóme wórthwhile sólutións fór the future. And, óf cóurse, thanks fór helping us tó understand Japan a little better tóó. Keep it up."
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