PLANO, Texas (Sept. 19, 2022) – For a 15-year-old musician from Mercer Island, Washington, cars of the future would include her “piano ship” vehicle, which performs classical music for passengers and passersby while floating high above and throughout the lush landscapes of the world.

Originally trained as a pianist and now an award-winning harpist with her local youth orchestra, high schooler Ava Yeh is also an accomplished artist. Fueled by her love of classical music and an appreciation of nature, she designed and submitted her “Toyota Dream Orchestra Car” to the annual Toyota Dream Car Art Contest, which won first place in her age group for both U.S. and the world competitions this year.

“My car plays music everywhere to soothe people and improve their mental and physical health,” shared Yeh, currently a junior at Mercer Island High School. “I added beautiful plants and flowers to my design to emphasize the importance of preserving nature and to inspire people to nurture their own homes.”

After receiving a Gold Award in the U.S. contest, along with the other eight U.S. winners, Yeh’s artwork was entered into the world contest where she won the Grand Prize in her age group (12-15 years). Her work was selected from national winners representing 78 countries, and globally from a total of 531,692 artwork submissions.

“Ava is an outstanding musician who inspires us all. She is a model for young musicians everywhere, and she provides a wonderful example to our students on how music creates community within a school,” said Walter Kelly, principal of Mercer Island High School.

“Great ideas like Ava’s help guide our work to make the world a healthier and happier place for everyone,” said Tellis Bethel, group vice president and chief social innovation officer, Toyota Motor North America. “We feel that the contest is a great platform for young people to express their creativity, ingenuity and passion for making a difference.”

Two other U.S. winners were recognized as “Best Finalists” in the world competition this year: 5-year-old Zongxuan Helena Zou of Ridgewood, New Jersey, for her “Giraffe Car Delivers Happiness” artwork and 11-year-old Doyeon Lee of Mill Creek, Washington, for her “Sweet Car” artwork.

The question, “If you could design a car to make the world a better place, what would it look like?” is answered each year by thousands of young people like Yeh, Zou and Lee who design and submit their hand-drawn artwork to their respective national contests.

This fall, the Toyota Dream Car Art Contest launches in the United States for its 12^th year. Artwork by U.S. youth, ages 4-15, may be submitted online or by mail starting October 1, 2022 through January 31, 2023. Details on this year’s contest is available at www.ToyotaDreamCarUSA.com.