The 12th annual Drive for Design contest kicks off today and the Stellantis North America design team is asking high school students to create their dream vehicle for the year 2040 using inspiration from the company’s North American or global brands. This year’s top prize is an exclusive opportunity to intern this summer in the Ram Truck design studio.
Drive for Design is powered by the passion of Mark Trostle, vice president, Ram Truck and Mopar design, who won one of the program’s early iterations as a high schooler in 1987. Since bringing back the contest in 2012, it has highlighted the path to a career in automotive design and illustrated the many creative opportunities available within the automotive industry.
“We host this contest because we want to inspire young creative talent and also enlighten parents about the many opportunities available within automotive design,” said Trostle. “Many of the past winners have gone on to have successful careers here, as well as at other companies and that is what’s rewarding not only to me, but our entire design team, and it drives us to continue on each year.”
In addition to the summer designer internship in the Ram Truck Exterior Design Studio, the grand prize winner will also receive a Wacom MobileStudio Pro 16 tablet and have their winning sketch featured on the Stellantis North America social media platforms. Prizes for the second- and third-place finishers include an Apple iPad Pro and Apple Pencil, virtual portfolio review with members of the Stellantis design team and a scholarship to College for Creative Studies’ four-week summer program. All three winners will also be invited to be a student judge at this summer’s prestigious car show, EyesOn Design at Ford House, in Grosse Pointe, Michigan.
All student-created entries must be submitted by Friday, April 12, 2024. One grand prize winner and two additional finalists will be selected from all valid entries received.
Students, teachers and parents can follow the contest on the Stellantis North America social media channels and learn about automotive design. Weekly contest updates and content will be posted every Tuesday with the hashtag #DriveForDesign.
Notable Drive for Design winners:
- 2016 winner: Ben Treinen (Loveland, Ohio), Ram Truck Interior Design Studio employee
- 2015 winner: Dongwon Kim (Cupertino, California), Advanced Design Studio employee
- 2023 winner: Rocco Morales (Northville, Michigan), First high school student intern
- 2021 winner: Vincent Piaskowski (Birmingham, Michigan), 2024 summer intern
- 2020 winner: Job Skandera (Santa Rosa, California), former intern
- 2019 winner: Max Cooper (Miami, Florida), former intern
- 2015 winner: Josh Blundo (Moultonborough, New Hampshire), former intern
- 2014 winner: Alex Fischer (Rochester, Michigan), former intern
For detailed contest rules, information on how to submit sketches and free resources for students of all ages, visit StellantisDriveForDesign.com.
