SOUTHFIELD, Mich. – The four winning entries came from four countries in the $100,000 Designing for the Future scholarship awards program sponsored by the Ford Motor Company and Lawrence Technological University. There were more than 200 applications from 26 countries.

Vladislav Mazolevski, a 16-year-old high school student in Belarus, won the top prize of $40,000 in scholarship support over four years for LTU’s transportation design program for submitting the best automotive design entry.

The second-place award of $24,000 in scholarship support went to Dylan Schmidt of Sycamore, IL, an 18-year-old high school student.

Two potential transfer students won the third-place prize of $18,000 each in scholarship support: Michael Silbereis, 25, of Germany; and Tamila Abuseridze, 24, of Russia.

Schmidt and Silbereis attended the awards presentation on Jan. 13 at the MAIN Event, a preview party for the North American International Auto Show held at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit.

With support and encouragement from the automotive industry, in 2007 LTU has created a unique Bachelor of Science in Transportation Design program that emphasizes the importance of engineering factors in automotive design. The degree program simulates an industry studio environment. Blending their creative talent with an understanding of engineering and manufacturing technology, Lawrence Tech students design projects with feasibility of manufacturing in mind.

Lawrence Technological University, www.ltu.edu, is a private university founded in 1932 that offers more than 100 programs through the doctoral level in its Colleges of Architecture and Design, Arts and Sciences, Engineering, and Management. Bloomberg Businessweek lists Lawrence Tech among the nation’s top 20 percent of universities for return on undergraduate tuition investment, and highest in the Detroit metropolitan area.  Lawrence Tech is also listed in the top tier of Midwestern universities by U.S. News and World Report and the Princeton Review. Students benefit from small class sizes and experienced faculty who provide a real-world, hands-on, “theory and practice” education with an emphasis on leadership. Activities on Lawrence Tech’s 102-acre campus include over 60 student clubs and organizations and a growing roster of NAIA varsity sports.