Visitors to this year's Melbourne International Motor Show will have a chance to gaze into the future of motoring, as seen through the eyes of aspiring designers and model-makers from Victoria's secondary schools and tertiary institutions.

VACC's Target 2020 future car design competition, on display at a special stand at the 2006 Melbourne International Motor Show, invited Victorian students to bring their ideas about the future of motoring to life - how cars will look, how they'll be powered and what technologies they will employ - through the mediums of graphic design, 3D model-making, or in essay form.

The short-listed entries, and winners of the $3000 prizes in each section, will be displayed at a special 'gallery' stand at this year's Show.

"The Target 2020 Competition promises to become something big," VACC Executive Director David Purchase said.

"VACC ran it as a pilot this year to gauge interest from schools, tertiary institutions, and students. Besides offering $3000 prizes to each student winner in each category, the prize winners' schools and tertiary institutions also collected $3000 prizes.

"The response has been very pleasing, in terms of both the quantity of the entries and of the quality.

"The depth of thought, the clarity of ideas and the skill in execution behind many of the entries is little short of astonishing. There are many very capable graphic designers, model makers and creative writers among students at Victoria's secondary schools and tertiary institutions," Mr Purchase said.  

"VACC is very pleased to repeat the Target 2020 Competition over the coming academic year. And, as part of the State Government Careers in Manufacturing program, it is also to be supported and promoted by the Department of Innovation, Industry and Regional Development.

"We are very pleased to gain this support. We are also pleased to be again able to support our bright young thinkers and designers through this competition for another year," Mr Purchase said.

Winners of the VACC Target 2020 Competition:

TERTIARY CATEGORY

$3000:  Adam Ty Dean Smith - Tertiary Design Category
  ($3000 Monash University)

$3000:  Mike Chijoff - Tertiary Model Category
  ($3000 RMIT University)

$3000:  Adrian Marcon - Tertiary Essay Category
  ($3000 Monash University)

SECONDARY CATEGORY

$3000:  Kirk Dyer - Secondary Design Category
  ($3000 Swan Hill Secondary College)

$3000:  Will Dumaresq - Secondary Model Category
  ($3000 Scotch College)

$3000:  Nathan Leong - Secondary Essay Category
  ($3000 Melbourne High School)
 

Entries for the 2007 VACC Target 2020 competition close December 15th this year.