A 10-year-old pupil of Corona School, Gbagada, Lagos, Oluwademilade Odumuboni, has emerged global grand prize winner of the Toyota Dream Car Art Contest.
He won the coveted prize after beating 782,852 other contestants from 90 countries.
The contest is organised yearly by Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC), Japan for pupils worldwide, challenging them to draw their dream cars with an inspirational idea.
Master Odumuboni’s waste converter drawing, with the concept of helping countries, especially African communities, in food production and ensuring clean environment, was adjudged the best globally.
He was on Saturday, September 2 honoured and presented with a prize money of $5,000, a trophy, and a certificate at a ceremony organised by Toyota Nigeria Limited (TNL) in Lagos on behalf of the TMC of Japan.
His school, Corona, was also given $10,000 prize money.
The prize money awarded to Demilade and the school is meant for education.
His Art teacher, Mr Ojeagbega Oserogho, received a laptop for helping the gifted boy to excel.
Managing Director, Toyota (Nigeria) Limited, Mr Kunle Ade-Ojo, said: “We are very excited and elated. Indeed, we are very proud of the feat that Demilade achieved by also placing Toyota (Nigeria) Limited in the forefront of distributors globally.”
He said the star boy’s unique idea and dream had placed him and Nigeria on the global map of one of the largest Global Art Contests for children.
“His unique and truly inspirational idea expressed in an equally creative drawing earned him a global grand prize in the contest beating over 782,852 contestants from 90 countries/regions,” he added.
Ade-Ojo said while the parent company, TMC of Japan initiated the contest in 2004, Toyota Nigeria keyed into it four years later as a corporate social responsibility initiative to help children express their imagination of a future car through drawing.