School Bus Safety Poster Contest winners announced for 2026

HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Shapiro Administration, alongside the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and the Pennsylvania State Police, recognized ten students and three school bus drivers during a ceremony at the Hershey Antique Automobile Museum.

Gov. Josh Shapiro declared Oct. 19-23 as School Bus Safety Week in Pennsylvania, highlighting statewide efforts to keep students safe while traveling to and from school.

The annual recognition highlights safety efforts for a transportation system that serves more than 1.4 million Pennsylvania students daily.

PennDOT Director of Driver Licensing Dios Arroyo emphasized the collective responsibility of motorist awareness as the school year gets underway.

“With the end of another summer, school is back in session and school buses have returned to our roads, shifting the Shapiro Administration’s focus to getting young Pennsylvanians to and from school safely,” Arroyo said. “School Bus Safety Week gives everyone an opportunity to pause and realize just how much our own actions behind the wheel can affect innocent, young lives.”

This year’s school bus safety poster contest centered on the theme “Safe Rides – Everyday Heroes,” receiving 92 entries from students across the state, according to a state press release. First-place winners in each category advanced to the national competition in August, where two Pennsylvania students placed in their respective divisions.

School Bus Safety Poster Contest winners announced for 2026 The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) recognizes young artists along with school bus drivers who won the statewide 2026 School Bus Safety Poster Contest and Driver Safety competitions. The ten winners of the poster contest are from schools in Allegheny, Bucks, Centre, Jefferson, Monroe, and Northampton counties, while winners of the school bus driving competition are from Berks, Chester, and Lancaster counties. (Jon Ferreras)

Below are the 2026 SchoolBusSafety Poster Contest winners, by grade:

Kindergarten – Grade 2

First Place: Bilal Shayan, Bradford Woods Elementary School, Bradford Woods, Allegheny County. Bilal also placed second in his division at the national competition.
Second Place: Jada Bernard, East Stroudsburg Elementary School, East Stroudsburg, Monroe County.
Third Place: Betsy Belmont, New Hope Solebury Lower Elementary School, Solebury, Bucks County.

Grades 3-5

First Place: Maria Montero, J.M. Hill Elementary School, East Stroudsburg, Monroe County. Maria also placed first in her division at the national competition.
Second Place: Saieesh Kovelakuntla, Franklin Elementary School, Sewickley, Allegheny County.
Third Place: Jeilyn Gutierrez-Torres, J.M. Hill Elementary School, East Stroudsburg, Monroe County.

Grades 6-8

First Place: Hailey Struble, Bald Eagle Middle School, Wingate, Centre County.
Second Place: Gracelyn Glunt, Bald Eagle Middle School, Wingate, Centre County.
Third Place: Raegan Johns, Brockway Area Junior High School, Brockway, Jefferson County.

Special Education

First Place: Lilyonna Bednar, Wilson Area Intermediate School, Easton, Northampton County.

State officials noted that no qualifying entries were submitted in the Computer Aided category.

State officials also recognized the top performers from the 47th State School Bus Driver Safety Competition, which took place in June at Bald Eagle Area High School in Bellefonte. Nearly 50 drivers competed in the event, where judges evaluated their skills on a written examination and a closed-course practical driving test.

Cpl. Zeina Black, supervisor of the Permits and Bus Safety Division within the Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Patrol, highlighted the daily responsibilities carried by drivers across the Commonwealth.

“School bus drivers are on the front lines and in the public eye every day ensuring the safety of our children as they travel to and from school and activities and are doing an extraordinary job,” Black said. “Every day, they deliver their precious cargo to its destination without incident, reinforcing the trust parents have in their abilities.”

The winners in the conventional bus category this year were: