Super Toyota Cactus Car of Nguyen Pham Nhat Minh from Viet Nam. — Photo Courtersy of Toyota Viet Nam

TOKYO (VNS) — Eight-year-old Nguyen Pham Nhat Minh won a consolation prize for his painting at the 9th Toyota Dream Car Art Contest held in Japan late last month.

This year, Minh, a second-grade student at Ha Noi Technology and Education, beat 875,000 children from 81 countries and territories to win the prize for his work: Super Toyota Cactus Car.

Asked about his work, Minh said, "I wish to have a car that can run easily in the desert to seek underground water resources to supply travellers and camels crossing the desert."

The contest was divided into three age-related categories: under eights, 9-11 and 12-15.

Three gold prizes were bagged by Dulanya Dewagamage, 7, of Sri Lanka; Ada Maria Ciontu, 11, of Romania and Azul Paz Servin Rodas, 13, of Paraguay.

From 2012 to 2014, Viet Nam won the gold, special and silver prizes at the contest.

Over the past nine years, the Toyota Dream Car Art Contest has received nearly 3 million paintings from children all over the world. As a result, it has become the world's largest painting contest. — VNS