Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) has announced winners of the 2020 Toyota Dream Car Competition. The competition – open to three age categories, namely: Under-8s, 8-11 and 12-15 year olds – is aimed at encouraging children to visualise and sketch mobility solutions of the future in their own worlds.
Below is the list of category winners as well as their personal quotes, explaining the inspiration behind their artwork:
Under-8 Category: Khwezi Mhlawuli, from Durban: “I would like to see young kids playing with the car I drew and in toy stores and I would be very happy to see my car driven by me one day as I would like to be a racer.”
Category 8 – 11: Sahasra Kalakonda, from Midrand: “My Super Solar Car runs only on solar panels to reduce air pollution. The whole body is made of solar panels. It can transform like a giant ship sail that can generate power for home. In drive mode it can transform to open more solar panels for extra power.”
Category 12 – 15: Zaakirah Alli, from Mount Edgecombe: “Sad faces and teary eyes as they look on. This breaks my heart! Therefore, my car is for people with physical disabilities. It can be entirely controlled by your mind or a lever. Wheels in, rocket mode activated and reach for the stars!”
It was not only the category winners who walked away with great prizes, but four runners up in each age group were also awarded.
According to the auto maker, 2020 winners will not be invited to the customary official prize-giving ceremony, due to COVID-19 protocols,
“This also means that, unlike in the past, the category winners will not be entered into the international competition that is normally judged in Japan,” it pointed out.
However, Glenn Crompton – TSAM’s Vice President of Marketing – says the organization is nonetheless thrilled for this year’s winners.
“We hope that the prizes will go a long way in lifting up the spirits of all the winners and runners up. This is, without a doubt, one of the most challenging periods of our lifetime and we can only assume that it’s even more difficult for our children. We would therefore like to encourage them to continue dreaming beyond their social realms and confines – and we are proud that the Toyota Dream Car Competition, and art in general, affords them the opportunity to do just that,” he said..
The prizes for each age category in the national competition were as follows:
1st Place: PS4 to the value of R7 000 and R8 000 in cash
2nd Place: PS4 to the value of R7 000
3rd Place: Xbox One to the value of R5 000
4th Place: Tablet to the value of R3 000
5th Place: Makro Voucher to the value of R2 000
