Ava Yeh revved up her dream car ideas with a touch of classical music and rolled to gold-medal and grand-prize victories in a national and worldwide Toyota art contest.

The incoming Mercer Island High School junior is one of the winners in both the United States (gold medal) and world (grand prize) segments of the Toyota Dream Car Art Contest. She earned the two accolades in the ages 12-15 division, and there were also victors in the ages 8-11 and 7-and-under divisions.

After notching the US gold medal, Yeh’s artwork zoomed into the world competition in Japan and joined 531,692 entries submitted from 78 countries.

A classical musician who has played piano since kindergarten and harp since the fourth grade, Yeh composed her “Toyota Dream Orchestra” artwork while utilizing the Procreate illustration app.

Yeh, 15, supplied the following description of her piece as part of the submission process: “My dream car is a fusion of music and plants. It introduces the world of music with the mini-piano ships flying about, people are picked up and are able to experience music for themselves. This car can also help soothe people, and even have positive effects on physical health conditions. People can develop a deeper appreciation for the environment, inspiring them to nurture their own homes.”

A pair of contest judges beamed with excitement after evaluating Yeh’s entry: “I was impressed by the skill and energy of the person who painted this picture,” and “In a world where music and mobility merge, I wanted to move pleasantly amongst the grasses and flowers!”

Yeh was thrilled to reap victory and have the concept and message of her piece resonate with the judges, whose criteria focused on three areas: execution, uniqueness and artistry of concept (about 33% each).

On incorporating her passion for classical music into her art, Yeh explained: “As a classical musician, I find that most are not as connected with classical music. I find myself always drawn to classical music as it has so much depth and emotion to it — it’s beautiful and timeless, and something I hope to introduce to others.”

On the cash prize front, Yeh was awarded $750 from the US contest, and she and Mercer Island High School will receive $8,000 and $10,000, respectively, to be used for educational purposes from the world contest. Toyota hopes to recognize Yeh for her accomplishments at her school in September.

For information about upcoming contests, visit www.ToyotaDreamCarUSA.com.