Mark Trostle knows firsthand what the right opportunities can provide for an aspiring vehicle designer.
In 1987, he was in high school and won an early iteration of what’s since become the Drive for Design contest from Stellantis, according to a news release. Now, he’s vice president of Ram Truck and Mopar Design.
“Participating in this contest gave me the confidence to pursue the path to a career in automotive design. Now, I want to help students find the connection between their creativity and the automotive industry,” Trostle said in the release. “It is incredible to see our past winners come up through the design school ranks. I even get to see some of them as interns or co-workers in our design studio.”
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Beginning Tuesday through April 21, the competition, now in its current form and its 11th consecutive year, is accepting entries from students in grades 10-12, who are U.S. residents attending U.S. high schools.
The theme this year coincides with the company’s electrification push, which it’s showcasing through the introduction of its Ram 1500 REV, the electric pickup it showed during a commercial for this year’s Super Bowl and which it plans to launch next year.
Stellantis, owner of Jeep, Ram, Dodge, Chrysler and Fiat, is asking students to design “the future of a Ram truck” in the form of an electric pickup.
Up for grabs in this year’s competition is a summer design internship in the Ram Truck Exterior Design Studio.
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“The grand prize winner will also receive a Wacom MobileStudio Pro 16 tablet and have their winning sketch featured on Stellantis’ social media platforms. Prizes for the second- and third-place finishers include an Apple iPad Pro and Apple Pencil, Virtual Day of Design portfolio review with members of the Stellantis Design Team and a scholarship to College for Creative Studies’ four-week summer program, VisCom 1,” the release said.
Local winners can be a student judge at the EyesOn Design at Ford House car show in Grosse Pointe Shores on June 18, the release said.
Winners since 2014 have come from California, Florida, New Hampshire, Michigan and Ohio.
For information, go to www.StellantisDriveForDesign.com. The release noted that weekly contest updates and content would be posted every Tuesday and Thursday (#DriveForDesign) on Stellantis North America social media channels.
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