Press Release
For the 16th consecutive year, Toyota Cyprus took part in the global Toyota Dream Car Art Contest 2026, a painting competition organized by Toyota Motor Corporation for children up to 15 years old. This year’s theme was “Your Dream Car.”
The competition ran from December 1, 2025, to January 31, 2026, under the auspices of the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth of the Republic of Cyprus. Globally, the contest attracted 665,326 entries from over 90 countries, making it one of Toyota’s most prominent creative initiatives in recent years.
For the first time, all entries were submitted digitally, allowing even more children to participate. The response in Cyprus exceeded expectations, with 1,095 imaginative and innovative drawings showcasing the young artists’ visions of the cars of the future.
Angela Chatziloizi, Brand & Communications Specialist at Toyota Cyprus, said:
"Children aren’t just drawing their dream cars; they are sharing ideas for a better world. Their creativity and social awareness are truly inspiring for all of us."
Age Categories and Judging
Participants were divided into three age groups:
Category A: up to 8 years old
Category B: 9–11 years old
Category C: 12–15 years old
A panel of judges from media, art, education, and the automotive sector reviewed the submissions and selected the top three entries from each category. The judging panel included:
- Nikos Kotsonopoulos – Sales Manager, ANT1
- Georgia Moditi – Fashion Designer, Madame Figaro Awards 2025
- Konstantinos Ioannidis – General Manager, Lexus Cyprus
- Antis Michaelides – Parts Manager, Toyota Cyprus
- Christiana Katsari – Educational Programs Consultant, Ministry of Education
- Petros Soutzis – Freelance Motoring Journalist, autokinito.com.cy
- Maria Efthymiou – Studio Director, Marketway Publicis
- Christothea Iakovou – Journalist, Politis
- Ermina Emmanouil – Graphic Designer & Children’s Book Illustrator
Awards Ceremony
The awards ceremony took place on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, at 3:30 p.m. at Toyota Cyprus’ exhibition space in Nicosia, where the winners were celebrated. The Cypriot winners will have the opportunity to compete in the global Toyota Dream Car Contest in Japan in May 2026 alongside other international winners.
Cyprus Winners:
Category A (up to 8 years):
1st place – Stavriani Andreou
2nd place – Georgia-Evdokia Michael
3rd place – Argyro Zoumidu
Category B (9–11 years):
1st place – Savvas Sofokleous
2nd place – Maria Marnerou
3rd place – Maria Petousi
Category C (12–15 years):
1st place – Zehui Zao
2nd place – Valeria Tanasidou
3rd place – Marios-Raphael Michael
The contest continues to inspire young Cypriots to imagine the future of mobility and showcase their creativity to the world.
For more information, visit www.toyota.com.cy.
