Stellantis enjoys a long history of compelling vehicle designs and of nurturing the designers that produce them. The company’s expanding that legacy with its 2026 Drive for Design Junior contest for kids from kindergarten to ninth grade.
The junior competition joins the annual Drive for Design contest for high schoolers between 10th and 12th grades. It aims to encourage the creativity of young artists with an automotive bent. The new junior contest is divided into three age groups: kindergarten to third grade; fourth to sixth grade; and seventh to ninth grade.
This year’s theme is “Design the Future of Fast.” To participate, the students must create a design following that prompt while using a Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, or Ram vehicle as the focal point of the design for the future.
“Designing an SRT vehicle means unleashing a fearless mindset and dreaming up performance-driven ideas that look fast even when they’re standing still,” said Mark Trostle, vice president of Ram Truck, Mopar and SRT exterior design, who himself won this competition years ago. “We can’t wait to see how students of every age push the limits and redefine what fast, powerful and downright awesome can look like for the next generation.”
The design team will judge the entries, picking one grand-prize winner from each age group, plus two additional finalists from the valid entries. For detailed contest rules, information on how to submit sketches, various prize packages and free resources for students of all ages, visit StellantisDriveForDesign.com.
All student-created entries must be submitted by noon EDT on Thursday, April 23, 2026. Students, teachers and parents can follow contest updates on Stellantis North America’s Facebook and Instagram channels using #DriveForDesign, the company noted.
[Images: Stellantis]
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