MOTOR TREND Announces Winners of 6th Annual International Automotive Design Contest

Business Wire, Oct 28, 2004

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- World Renowned Automotive Designers from Ford, General Motors and Mitsubishi to be in Attendance; Winners Unveiled At California International Auto Show

MOTOR TREND, the world's number one automotive authority, and the California International Auto Show (CIAS), today announced the winners of the sixth-annual MOTOR TREND/CIAS International Design Contest during Media Day at the California International Auto Show (CIAS) in Anaheim, CA. Top honors were awarded to Guilherme Albuquerque Knop (26) from Parana, Brazil. Guilherme received the award for best of show and a cash prize of $2,500 for his design of an Armani/Transport. Viewed as a highly respected honor by many in the automotive world, this prestigious award is bestowed annually to the designer who best captures the contest theme.

"Each year, the competition gets better and better and this year's entries really stepped it up a notch creating some of the most cutting-edge designs we've seen," said Matt Stone, executive editor of MOTOR TREND. "This contest draws some of the most innovative and creative designs from around the world and we're proud to recognize the achievements of these talented individuals."

The 2004 MOTOR TREND/CIAS International Design Contest received over 2,500 registrations from more than 70 countries and challenged amateur, student and professional designers to design a car, truck or SUV conceived, built and brought to market by a company that is not currently an automotive producer. With companies around the world maximizing brand recognition to set themselves apart from their competitors, such as McDonalds'(R) Arches and Nike's(R) Swoosh, this year's "Brand It Your Way" theme challenged contestants to bring the attributes and characteristics of their chosen brand to life by conceptualizing a vehicle that clearly exemplified the traits of the product.

Each design submission was represented in a minimum of three different perspectives, with at least one being a rendering of the passenger compartment that identified the instrumentation and driver controls. Entries also included a brief synopsis that explained how the design was conceptualized, as well as the car's technical and general specifications.

"In such a product-driven world, this year's theme hit home with the competitors, allowing them to leave their mark and truly 'Brand It their Way'," said Stone. "This contest creates a unique opportunity for designers of all different skill sets to get their visions in front of the most distinguished designers in the automotive sector."

First place in the Design Professional category was awarded to Steve Cook (39) from Portland, Oregon for his design of the Victoronix Bernia. Steve is currently a senior designer with Pinnacle Exhibits, Displayworks and Exhibit Group. Mauricio Bedolla Gasca (29) was awarded top honors in the Design Student category for his design of the Urban Victory Vehicle. Mauricio is currently enrolled in the design master program at Umea Institute of Design in Umea, Sweden.

Other winners included:

Design Professional Category

2nd Place:  Magnus Gustafsson, Lockheed Martin X-2 Lightning
            - Trollhattan, Sweden
3rd Place:  Hilgard Muller, Bell Aegis - Santa Cruz, California
Finalist:   Armando Mercado Villalobos, Swiss Army -
            Mexico City, Mexico

Design Student Category

2nd Place:  Csaba Wittinger, Boeing 7C7 - Budapest, Hungary
3rd Place:  Iavor Todorov, Oakley Monster - Toronto, Canada
Finalist:   Khaleel Melbourne, Kodakar - Sunrise, Florida
Finalist:   Zsolt Tarnok, Sony Spark - Budapest, Hungary

Amateur: 17 Years and Younger Category

1st Place:  Noah Hammersten, Teva Cross Terra - Bloomington, MN
2nd Place:  Julien Bilodeau, Louis Vuitton Luxury Sports Car -
            Nova Scotia, Canada
3rd Place:  Mahaan Ghose, NASA Wanderer ST3 - West Bengal, India

Amateur: 18 Years and Older Category
1st Place:  Jose Alfonso Tavera Sanchez of Mexico City,
            Mexico (Armani Passion)
2nd Place:  Stephane Caron, Quebec, Canada (Gravity)
3rd Place:  Hussein Al-Attar, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany
            (Fila Eukidu)

The first round of judging was completed in September when the judges reviewed over 250 entries. Ten finalists, representing the Design Student and Professional categories, were selected to receive a trip to Anaheim for the chance to discuss their design entries in person with each member of the distinguished judging panel at the CIAS.

The Best of Show winner received a $2,500 cash award and the first-place winner in the design professional category received a $1,000 cash award. Additionally, the first-place winner in the design student category received a $1,000 cash scholarship towards the college or university of his choice and each amateur category winner received a $500 cash prize, courtesy of the CIAS. The Academy of Art University in San Francisco awarded the first-place winner in the Amateur: 18 and Older category with two free online design classes. The top winner of the Amateur: 17 and Younger category received the choice of a Summer Study Grant Scholarship or a scholarship to the Academy's Summer Art Experience. Finally, first, second and third place in each category received a trophy, certificate of achievement, a free one-year MOTOR TREND magazine subscription, and will have their achievement recognized in a future issue of MOTOR TREND and online at www.motortrend.com and www.mtdesigncontest.com.