Every year on the 12th of August the world celebrates International Youth Day — a global occasion created by the United Nations to highlight the power of youth. Since its first observance in 2000, the day has grown into a platform to promote the engagement of the youth by highlighting their creativity and leadership role in shaping society.
The theme for 2025 was “Local Youth Actions for the SDGs and Beyond”, stressing that young people are not merely beneficiaries of global policies — but also they are drivers of change at local level. Through their energy, ideas and community ties, youth have a unique capacity to translate big ambitions such as Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into concrete reality where they live.
This year, once again FIVA has embraced this spirit by launching its own international youth competition, focusing on creativity by inviting young enthusiasts and artists to produce bold, imaginative photos, paintings or digital art inspired by historic vehicles — encompassing everything from vintage cars to bicycles and motorcycles — under evocative themes such as “Wheels of Industry”; “Time-Travellers: Past Meets Future” or even “Echoes of Motion – Emotion in Stillness.”
Why does this collaboration between FIVA and International Youth Day matter? First, because it gives young people a voice and a platform within the world of historic-vehicle culture — a domain often perceived as rooted in the past, tradition or adulthood. By inviting youth to interpret historical mobility through creativity and contemporary sensibility, FIVA helps renew and revitalize heritage, making it relevant, accessible, and alive for future generations.
Second, it aligns with the broader aims of the 2025 IYD theme: local action, inclusion, and sustainable values. Historic vehicles are not only mechanical artefacts — they embody culture, innovation, craftsmanship and social history. Engaging youth in this heritage fosters awareness about sustainability, historical continuity, respect for tradition, and the value of conservation. It becomes a way to connect past, present and future.
Last, , the collaboration encourages intergenerational dialogue: older enthusiasts, historians, restorers and clubs — linked to FIVA worldwide — can share their knowledge and passion with younger creators, while youth bring fresh perspectives, creativity, and a sense of belonging to a global community. In this way, FIVA helps build bridges between generations, cultures and countries.
Through this competition, we celebrate not only the beauty and significance of historic vehicles — but also the potential of young people to reinterpret heritage, to innovate in tradition, and to help carry cultural values forward. On this International Youth Day 2025, FIVA and youth together show that the past can drive the future.
