The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale has announced its winners in the Young Artists Contest. This year’s theme was “Design your perfect aircraft.”
The contestants’ designs were inspired by nature, as they were asked to create something they would like to see in the sky, and had to consider what would power the aircraft, its size, and what special features would make pilots and passengers excited to be in the air.
The international contest is open to children between the ages of 7 and 18. This year’s field featured representatives from China, India, Latvia, the U.S., Japan, Finland, Lithuania, Poland, and Switzerland who each won their respective national competitions. The students compete in three categories depending on their age.
This year’s winners include a gold medal win from Japan’s Haruto Hirayama, who also won a gold in 2021. Regular participant Milena Bak from Poland was awarded a bronze medal this year, having taken home bronze and silver medals in previous competitions. Michelle Lee from the U.S. took gold in the intermediate category, whilst another entrant from Japan–Ruka Oji–was awarded gold amongst the senior artists.
2022 FAI Young Artists Contest Winners
Junior Category, Ages 7-11
| Competitor | Country |
| Haruto Hirayama | Japan |
| Yichen Liu | China |
| Yitong Hou | China |
Intermediate Category, Ages 11-14
| Competitor | Country |
| Michelle Lee | US |
| Ami Chiba | Japan |
| Milena Bak | Poland |
Senior Category, Ages 15-18
| Competitor | Country |
| Ruka Oji | Japan |
| Beatrice Macenaite | Lithuania |
| Bartosz Bak | Poland |
