Children, when given the opportunity to let their imagination run wild, tend to lack any boundaries in their immense creativity — just look at the entries received in Rolls-Royce’s recent Young Designer competition.

The competition was launched in April with the aim of stimulating design talent and serving as a distraction for under 16s during a time filled with lockdown and social-distancing. The brief was simple: young designers were asked to design their dream Rolls-Royce of the future, complete with all the bespoke features and capabilities they could dream up. Over 5,000 illustrations had been received from children in over 80 countries when entries closed on 2 June.

Winners will be selected by Gavin Hartley, Rolls-Royce’s Head of Bespoke Design and announced mid-July. The winner will have his or her creation rendered digitally and professionally by the Rolls-Royce team, as well as be chauffeur-driven in a Rolls-Royce to school with their best friend. One lucky entrant from the UK will also receive the same luxury trip when returning to school, plus their school will be given a new Greenpower electric car kit in order to participate in a special motorsport competition for schools across Britain.

So far we’ve seen a cotton candy-themed Rolls Royce created by a five-year-old, a sprinting crab-like machine, and an animal-themed convertible with ladybird deck. Head over to the special website to check out 220 shortlisted entries.