The "MAZDA 100th Anniversary RX-VISION GT3 CONCEPT Livery Design Contest" took place for four weeks from May 22 to June 19. A total of 555 entries were submitted from all over the world. In addition to the liveries, we received many comments that celebrate Mazda's 100th anniversary. We would like to thank everyone who participated in this contest and all who enjoyed it.

Mr. Ikuo Maeda, Managing Executive Officer of Design and Brand Style, was in charge of the selection process for this contest. Kazunori Yamauchi, Gran Turismo Series Producer, also joined the screening process. From the 555 entries, 20 were chosen to the final selection stage. From there, the judges selected two "Grand Prix" and three "Honorable Mention" winners.

Here are the winning entries, along with comments from Maeda and Yamauchi. In addition, we also included comments from the winners themselves.

'Grand Prix' (2 Awards)

IKUO MAEDA AWARD

Hiroki Tanabe
(Japan, 17 years old, student)

KAZUNORI YAMAUCHI AWARD

Kohei Asaoka
(Japan, 18 years old, student)

'Honourable Mention' (3 Awards)

Gilles Motot
(France, 37 years old)

Keita Matsuzawa
(Japan, 33 years old, office worker)

Mamoru Okada
(Japan, 25 years old, office worker)

Message from Mr. Ikuo Maeda

First, I would like to thank all the people[MS1] who sent their entries from around the world. Once we started the selection process, we found that the submissions were of very high quality and full of allure. We thoroughly enjoyed going through each one of them.

In selecting the winners, one of the criteria we applied was to ensure that the livery did not contradict the basic spirit of the RX-VISION GT3 CONCEPT’s form. We sought a design with originality and a clear theme, while at the same time, one that expressed simplicity and beauty. We at Mazda also took the liberty to add a theme title to the selected entries. Congratulations to the winners, and thank you, Yamauchi-san for providing this opportunity to us.

Judges

- Ikuo Maeda (Managing Executive Officer; In charge of Design and Brand Style)
- Kazunori Yamauchi (Gran Turismo Series Producer)

'Grand Prix' Award Reviews

IKUO MAEDA AWARD

Hiroki Tanabe (Japan, 17 years old, student)
"SUPER HERO"

Comment from Ikuo Maeda

This entry does not impair the flowing beauty of the car’s body, but instead balances it with a strong, ferocious impression that is essential in a racecar. Befitting a Japanese brand, this design utilizes a “Kumadori” Kabuki makeup style as its theme. The “Sujiguma” makeup pattern, which is used here as the motif, represents strength and justice. While it is a complicated design,it blends seamlessly with the shape of the RX-VISION GT CONCEPT. When seen from any angle, the livery, rather than overly expressing “Wa” (harmony), clearly exhibits its racing nature. Creating such a simple but complicated design represents a monumental challenge, and I have the utmost regard for its high level of perfection.

Comment from the winner

I’m very happy that my design was selected by the father of Mazda’s “Kodo” design and the RX-Vision as the Grand Prix winner. The RX-VISION GT3 CONCEPT is a beautiful car designed in line with Mazda’s “Kodo: Soulof Motion” concept, and I struggled to find an appropriate theme when I first decided to create a livery design for the car. I looked for something that was fitting for a Mazda and a Japanese car, and I looked for things in everyday life for my ideas. The “Kumadori” theme came to me out of the blue. Personally, the part that I really worked hard on was the area around the headlights, focusing mostly on how to give a powerful impression efficiently. I think I was able to draw out the smooth features of the body through a design that uses curves throughout the car, and by limiting the body color to just white and Soul Red. I think I was able to give it a refined atmosphere.

KAZUNORI YAMAUCHI AWARD

Kohei Asaoka (Japan, 18 years old, student)

Comment from Kazunori Yamauchi

The designs for the livery when we normally race often tends to be something that hides the deficiencies in that car’s proportions. If the eyes/headlights of the car are set wide apart, we would add a stripe in the center. If the body is thick and the car appears cumbersome, we would change the colors on the top and bottom to make it look thinner. In this way, my image of the livery is like “makeup,” but the RX-VISION GT3 CONCEPT is a beauty that already has perfect proportions and possesses a front mask; that’s why I chose this design that has natural, minimal makeup. If I were to race this car, I would like to race it in this livery.

Comment from the winner

Thank you for selecting my design out of the many submissions. I’m very honored to be selected for the Grand Prix award. The concept for this design was a cool look that is definitively Mazda. I’ve also included design elements that are on cars like the LM55 and the MX-5 Cup cars to try to express a very Mazda look. This machine has a very aggressive design,and I felt that it already had the look of a racecar, so I avoided adding complex colors and kept in mind Mazda’s design philosophy of “opulence in open spaces,”and keeping it simple. Another key point was that I also used white lettering for all the logos to better unify its atmosphere.

'Honourable Mention' Award Reviews

Gilles Motot (France, 37 years old)
"RESPECT ROTARY"

Comment from Ikuo Maeda

This submission shows respect to the rotary engine in its design. The white and blue two-tone design is asymmetrical on the left and right, and the graphics are very meticulously controlled. (Actually, the fact that the RX-VISION GT3 CONCEPT looks good in white-based body colors was a new discovery for our Design Team in this contest.) The design also includes a bit of playfulness, with logos from the past, and the name of our founder, Jujiro Matsuda, as the driver. We could really feel the love and high expectations for Mazda coming all the way from France.

Comment from the winner

When I was contacted I couldn't believe it. I am proud to have been selected and truly grateful to Mazda, so a big thank you to you. In my opinion, what best characterizes Mazda in the world of motor racing is its perfect mastery of the rotary engine, which was proved to the world in its superb victory at Le Mans 24H in 1991. I was lucky to see the 787B during the 2011 edition of 24h du Mans,and the RX-vision reminded me of that moment. I wanted to represent this design inspired by the rotary engine.

Keita Matsuzawa (Japan, 33 years old, office worker)
THE -“M”

Comment from Ikuo Maeda

This is a simple yet strongly-themed design that uses the “M” logo of Mazda as the motif. When you look at it from the front, the “M” accentuates the car’s wide stance,and when seen from above, the flowing line runs from the hood to the rear tires. We felt that this was a very dynamic design that really gives the view era sense of speed.

Comment from the winner

I had never expected to be one of the winners, and I’m very surprised. If people like it, it would make me very happy to see it used in the game! I used white lines with Mazda’s distinctive red as the base. The white lines are laid out so that it looks like the “M” logo of Mazda depending on the angle.

Mamoru Okada (Japan, 25 years old, office worker)
"POLYMETAL-RACER"

Comment from Ikuo Maeda

This is a design that achieves the look of a racecar utilizing the Polymetal Gray body color. The contrast between the organic RXV body and sharp black graphics, as well as the white pinstripes highlighting it, gives it a very aggressive look. Its graphic balance is just on the border where it would become too busy if taken any further, and the yellow accents work very well with the Polymetal Gray, giving it a modern impression.

Comment from the winner

After the RX-VISION GT3 CONCEPT was announced, and before the car even appeared in-game, I was imagining the colors that would look good on this car. I was thinking initially that the base color should probably be the main theme color, Soul Red Crystal,and I had originally planned to make the design red with black. But when you look at the car in-game, the Polymetal Gray Metallic also looked really good, and in the end, I settled on a design with black bordered by white to make it so that the base could be either of the two colors. I think I was able to make something that works and one that has a 100th -anniversary feel to it. The body has flowing lines, so in contrast to this, I added corners by utilizing squares and triangles. As I mentioned above, I wanted to bring out the base color, so I balanced it so that there wouldn’t be too many black parts to it.

The winners of the "Grand Prix" and the "Honorable Mention" awards will receive original RX-VISION GT3 CONCEPT sketch panels drawn by Mazda designers. Congratulations to all the winners!