Serious Student Design: The Kids Are More Than Alright

“We are always impressed by the next generation of talent that competes in the annual Drive for Design contest, but this year our expectations were vastly surpassed based on the level of comprehensive artwork submitted. And, similar to a real-world sketch review, after much debate, the winning designs came down to the aesthetic details,” said Mark Trostle, Head of Performance, Passenger Car and Utility Vehicle Design for FCA—North America.

And here, is the first-place entry, from Maximillian Cooper:

(Images: FCA)

This is second place, from Mason Ross:

And third but still impressive is this, from Vincent Piaskowski:

By the way all three are high school students.

(Trostle established the annual Drive for Design program in 2013 to give back, as he won a design competition when he was in high school and attributes that to helping him get to where he is today.)

Two points:

1. Cooper, Ross and Piaskowski did some magnificent work and are to be congratulated.

2. Given that these are high school students it is clear that for those who are thinking about a car design career really need to develop some serious chops.

And a third, as it is important:

3. Credit to Mark Trostle and the folks at FCA—North America for making this happen.