While the past few years have been tough on all of us, our kids have chosen to see our worldwide challenges as opportunities.

Inspired by recent world issues—including health and environmental challenges—nine Canadian kids have become finalists in a global design competition, each of them designing a unique vehicle to help make the world a better place.

Every year, Toyota invites kids across Canada (and around the world) to design a ‘dream car’ to help make the world a better place. Here are the three Canadian winners (and finalists in the worldwide competition) in each age category (along with their designs):

Under 8 Years Old

Nya Ketchabaw (age 7, Sioux Lookout, ON)
Nya’s entry—”Forest Fire Fighter Pangolin Car”—uses zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell technology to fly over forest fires and extinguish them by spraying water from its tail. The vehicle’s tongue acts as a ladder to pick up animals and humans and bring them to safety.

Bernadette Isabella Irwandi (age 5, Collingwood, ON)
Bernadette’s entry—”Stray Animal Ambulance”—acts as an ambulance for sick and injured stray animals and has a special “booster” to bring them to nearby animal hospitals more quickly.

Candice Bie (age 4, Hamilton, ON)
Candice’s entry—”Crabby Car”—drives on land and dives underwater to collect the garbage polluting our lakes and oceans. The specially designed “crab eyes” at the front assist the driver while driving through dark areas.

8 to 11 Years Old

Ryan Lychak (age 10, Sherwood Park, AB)
Ryan’s entry—”Fusion Craft”—creates a new energy source by turning garbage into power. As the vehicle flies, it collects garbage and dirty air, converting it to clean power and releasing clean air.

Bellina Man (age 9, Vaughan, ON)
Bellina’s entry—”Ocean Life Rescuer”—cleans up plastic waste in the ocean and sends a team to rescue animals impacted by plastic pollution, “making our ocean a happy home for all”.

Aryan Shakya (age 11, North York, ON)
Aryan’s entry—”Eco-friendly Realistic Safe Smart Car”—is equipped with advanced technology, artificial intelligence and is powered using sustainable energy including water, solar and electric sources.

12 to 15 Years Old

Joseph Lee (age 14, Airdrie, AB)
Joseph’s entry—”Surgery on the Road”—a vehicle designed to help doctors provide surgery while a patient is in transit to increase their chance of survival.

Yiling Wang (age 15, Burnaby, BC)
Yiling’s entry—”The Toypillda”—envisions a special pill for patients to consume, which allows doctors to journey inside the patient’s body to treat an injury, confront bacteria and heal wounds.

Johnny Wang (age 15, Vancouver, BC)
Johnny’s entry—”Forest Guardian”—helps protect animals in the forest by spraying water in fire regions and rescuing animals using its tail.

What the judges had to say

A panel of distinguished Canadian judges was tasked with assessing hundreds of entries from kids across Canada. Here’s what the judges had to say about the submissions to this year’s contest:

“I’m truly impressed by the creative, innovative and world-changing ideas presented by Canadian youth. With their vision to design a future that is more sustainable for our people, animals and ecosystem, it’s clear to see that these are the leaders of tomorrow bringing forward their world-changing ideas.” Larry Hutchinson, President and CEO, Toyota Canada Inc.

“Transformative innovations start with an idea. Congratulations to all youth who participated in this competition. Imagination, ingenuity, hope and creativity shine through in the submissions, making judging especially difficult. Participants designed wonderful vehicles that help people, animals and the environment, showing what good hands our future is in.” – Bonnie Schmidt, President, Let’s Talk Science 

“This year’s entrants are proof our kids are very much engaged with and concerned for the future of the planet. They see cars as vehicles that can lead to better, safer times. The level of thought and consideration in all age groups is really remarkable.”- Lorraine Sommerfeld, Canadian Automotive Journalist, Driving.ca

“Overall, there were some super smart concepts and some amazing pieces of artwork. What this contest demonstrates is that young Canadians are both thoughtful about the world and the role technology and vehicles play in it… and are also very creative.” – Brian Sheppard, Executive Creative Director, Saatchi & Saatchi 

“The submissions were all incredible. These kids have a keen eye for the problems of today and have demonstrated imaginative ideas for the future. Every one of them should be applauded for their efforts. The future is in incredibly talented hands.” – Heather Greenwood Davis, Creative Influencer, Journalist and Media Host

The nine Canadian finalists will now be entered into the World Finals of the contest for a chance to win a prize valued at $15,000 USD. Each Canadian finalist will also receive a $250 online retail gift card to KiwiCo.

First held in 2004 and now one of the world’s largest global design contests for children, the Toyota Dream Car Art contest invites future artists, designers and engineers to share their ideas about the future of mobility.

For more about the Toyota Dream Car Art Contest, visit toyota.ca/dreamcarartcontest and to see the winning artwork, visit the Toyota Canada Newsroom.