Competition Educates and Encourages Students to Pursue Careers in Automotive Design
- Three students from Florida, Washington and Michigan win an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour and mentoring time with leading designers at the FCA US Product Design studios
- Additional awards include scholarships to attend College for Creative Studies’ Precollege Summer Experience Transportation Design program and serving as junior judges at the prestigious EyesOn Design Car Show
- Started locally in Detroit, Drive for Design has grown to become a national contest that provides students with opportunities to cultivate design skills
Some of the country’s top automotive designers and special guest judge Josh Welton gathered this week to determine the results of the FCA US 2019 Drive for Design contest. They reviewed each and every entry received from U.S. high school students in grades 10-12 who were challenged to design the ultimate status vehicle using any FCA brand. Three students from Florida, Washington and Michigan rose above the competition and have been named winners based on their innovative, forward-thinking sketches.
“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 art work 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. “Even though it’s a growing field, automotive design can often be overlooked by students entering the workforce, so our goal with this competition is to change that perspective and encourage promising talent to pursue opportunities where they could design the vehicles of the future.”
Trostle knows firsthand what it’s like to be given an opportunity to excel in this field. In 2013, he introduced Drive for Design, which is based on a contest he won as a high school student. He credits that experience as something that led him to his current professional role, heading the design efforts for some of the most desired vehicles on the road. Today, he’s passing the torch to three promising automotive designers.
The three student winners of the 2019 Drive for Design competition are:
- First place – Maximillian Cooper, Design and Architecture Senior High, Miami, Florida
- Second place – Mason Ross, Kennedy Catholic High School, Burien, Washington
- Third place – Vincent Piaskowski, Ernest W. Seaholm High School, Birmingham, Michigan
All three students will receive an exclusive, behind-the-scenes tour of the FCA US Product Design studios in Auburn Hills, Michigan, plus one-on-one time with leading automotive designers. Each will also receive a scholarship to attend the Precollege Summer Experience Transportation Design program at College for Creative Studies, a leading art and design college in Detroit. The summer program curriculum includes the fundamentals of gestural sketching, perspective for both interior and exterior automotive concepts and how to translate designs into 3D models.
Additionally, the FCA US Product Design Office partnered with EyesOn Design, which focuses on the automotive community and students coming together to commemorate, reflect and appreciate the craftsmanship and beauty of classic and modern vehicle design. Drive for Design winners receive their awards on Friday, June 14 at EyesOn Design’s “Vision Honored” Black Tie Gala and Silent Auction and will serve as junior judges at the prestigious EyesOn Design Car Show, held every Father’s Day weekend at the historic Edsel and Eleanor Ford House in Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan.
For detailed contest rules and information, visit www.FCAdrivefordesign.com.
