14-year-old Joseph Lee, a resident of Airdrie was named as a finalist in Toyota’s annual ‘Dream Car Art Contest’.

The global competition, which invites youth from around the globe to design a vehicle that helps make the world a better place, saw 531,692 entries from 78 countries this year. Lee was the only Canadian finalist.

His “Surgery on the Road” design was selected as a finalist in the age 12 to 15 category. His vehicle design is meant to help doctors provide surgery while a patient is in transit to increase their chance of survival.

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As a finalist in the world competition, Lee won a cash prize of $3,000 (USD) which is intended to be used for educational purposes in order to continue fostering his innovation and support his passion to make the world a better place.

Larry Hutchinson, the President and CEO of Toyota Canada Inc, said that he was 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.” 

Before his design was named a world finalist, Joseph was among eight other Canadian kids who were selected as Canadian winners by a panel of distinguished Canadian judges.

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

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