NSBSW Poster Contest

The centerpiece of National School Bus Safety Week is the Poster Contest. Thousands of school districts in over 40 states participate in local and state-level competitions to select artwork that depicts school bus safety-related themes and encourages and promotes school bus safety. The winning posters are used to promote safer school transportation for everyone.
 

2025-26 Poster Contest Important Information: 

• The 2025-26 National School Bus Safety Week Poster Contest theme: Safe Rides, Everyday Heroes
   
• Complete poster submission guidelines AND national poster submission form can be found here.
   
• NEW THIS YEAR: Digital submissions at the national level will be accepted from State Administrators. You can submit your digital poster(s) here - one submission required per poster. 
  • It is the responsibility of each state to decide how to collect and review posters before selecting their entries for the National Contest.
  • If your state chooses to submit posters digitally to the National Contest, please follow these requirements:
    • Review the digital submission guidelines carefully for file specifications (e.g., accepted file types, image size/resolution).
    • Ensure each digital submission includes a completed National Poster Submission Form.
    • ​Digital files must be clear, high-quality images of the original artwork; no scans that distort color or proportion.
    • Details on how to submit digitally to the national contest will be avaliable in late 2025/early 2026.
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• Key dates:
  • ​November 2, 2025 - April 3, 2026: Poster creation period
  • April 17, 2026: Posters must be submitted to State Administraor; your State Director can provide guidance and can be found here
  • May 15, 2026: Winning STATE contest posters must be received by NAPT from state administrators 
  • Summer 2026: National winners will be notified and promoted 
  • Fall 2026 (after the conclusion of the Annual Conference): Prizes will be sent

Please Note: The Poster Contest and National School Bus Safety Week are two different events. The poster theme becomes the theme for the following year's National School Bus Safety Week, which is an active and evolving public education program designed to promote school bus safety. This annual event is held during the third full week in October each year.

Past and present poster contest winners, can be found here.