- Stellantis launches its latest Drive for Design contest in the US.
- Contest is open to students from kindergarten through 12th grade.
- Entrants are warned that AI-generated images are not allowed.
Perhaps Stellantis is looking for fresh ideas, or maybe it just wants to give the next generation a shot; either way, it’s bringing back its Drive for Design contest for another year. This time around, the net is cast even wider, with entrants as young as kindergarten now invited to take part.
Last year’s brief focused on imagining a future Chrysler, but 2026 raises the stakes. Stellantis is asking students to envision the next generation of SRT models across Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram, which is a far more open-ended challenge.
Read: Ram 1500 SRT TRX Returns With 777 HP, And That’s Not Even The Best Part
As usual, the main competition is open to high school students in grades 10 through 12. New for 2026 is the Drive for Design Junior category, which splits younger participants into three groups: kindergarten to third grade, fourth to sixth grade, and seventh to ninth grade.
With Stellantis shifting much of its American focus back to combustion engines, as well as ramping up production of the Hemi V8, now’s perhaps the perfect time to see what the future of SRT could hold. If that future has to be designed by a five-year-old, then so be it.
How Can You Enter?
“Designing an SRT vehicle means unleashing a fearless mindset and dreaming up performance-driven ideas that look fast even when they’re standing still,” vice president of Ram Truck, Mopar, and SRT exterior design Mark Trostle said. “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.”
No matter their age, every participant has to stick to the same design brief and submission rules. There will be a winner from each of the three Junior categories, alongside one overall winner and two finalists from the main contest. The top prize includes a summer internship with the Ram and SRT design studio, plus an Apple iPad Pro and Apple Pencil.
Entries must be submitted in either .pdf or .jpg formats, no larger than 11-inch x 17-inch. This year, AI-generated images have been strictly prohibited, so any young computer wizzes hoping to shortcut their way in will have to sit this one out.
