Cars & Autos | Wednesday 24 May, 2017 9:30 am |

Al-Futtaim Motors, leader in sustainable mobility and exclusive distributor of Toyota in the UAE, welcomed more than 1,300 entries in the third UAE edition of the Toyota Dream Car Art Contest, Toyota’s global initiative designed to inspire creativity in youth and encourage interest in making the world a better place.

The entries from 28 different schools in the UAE and Toyota showrooms in Dubai and Abu Dhabi were made across three age groups – under 7 years old, 8-11 years old and 12-15 years old – with Bronze, Silver and Gold winners in each category.

Al-Futtaim Motors celebrated the winners at a special award ceremony followed by an art exhibition held at the Toyota Dubai Festival City showroom where top national winners and global contest shortlists were awarded Gold, Silver and Bronze prizes.

“For the past three years, we have had growing interest in the Toyota Dream Car Art Contest. In our third year entering the global competition, we feel confident that the artworks that have been presented reflect not just the talent of the young artists in the UAE on the global stage, but also their concerns, hopes and dreams for a brighter future” said Saud Abbasi, Managing Director of Toyota at Al-Futtaim Motors

Children who will make it to the final stages of the global contest will be invited along with their parents or guardians on a trip to Japan to participate in the global  awards ceremony in August 2017. While in Japan winners will visit a Toyota factory and get to experience different facets of the Japanese culture.

Last year, close to 900,000 entries from approximately 81 countries and regions around the globe were submitted to the Toyota Dream Car Art Contest worldwide.

The Gold winners’ category consists of:

• (Age Group 1) 7-year-old Aizah Durrani from GEMS Jumeirah Primary School for her “Go Green” car submission
• (Age Group 2) 11-year-old Vidhya Ganesan from Leaders Private School for her “The Artist Toyota Car” submission
• (Age Group 3) 13-year-old Prarthik Krishnan Menon Sathyanarayanan from Leaders Private School Sharjah for his “TOYOJUST” submission

The Silver winners’ category consists of:

• (Age Group 1) 6-year-old Areebah Khan from Leaders Private School for her “Honey Collecting Car” submission
• (Age Group 2) 10-year-old Ruth Cicy Binu from Al Diyafa High School for her “My Flying Dream Car which helps in Pollution” submission
• (Age Group 3) 12-year-old Arisha Ahmed from The Westminster School for her “Time traveller” submission

The Bronze winners’ category consists of:

• (Age Group 1) 6-year-old Faiza Hassan from Leaders Private School Sharjah for her “Toyota School On Wheel” submission
• (Age Group 2) 11-year-old Sophia Jone from Buds Public School for her “Electro - wheels to the rescue” submission
• (Age Group 3) 12-year-old Sivadurga Adduri from Leaders Private School for her “Six Plus Sigma sustainability car” submission

An additional People’s Choice Award was voted on by the audience and went to 12-year old Ananya Sivaramakrishnan from Al Diyafa High School. Winners received art and technology related prizes aimed at helping them further develop their artistic skills

Select artwork from the contest will be touring and decorating the Toyota facilities in the UAE, allowing an even wider audience to celebrate the talent and vision of the UAE’s up and coming generation of artists.