The National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT) today announced Sai Darshana Yekolu, a sixth grade student at Moseley Middle School in Prosper, Texas, as the overall national winner of the 2026 National School Bus Safety Poster Contest.

Sai’s artwork was selected from entries that advanced through state-level competitions across the country and will be featured during National School Bus Safety Week, October 19–23, 2026, helping carry an important student-created school bus safety message to communities nationwide.

A panel of judges representing the three national student transportation associations — NAPT, the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services (NASDPTS), and the National School Transportation Association (NSTA) — evaluated entries based on safety impact, originality, artistic quality and visual effectiveness.

Each National School Bus Safety Poster Contest submission begins with engagement at the local and state level, creating a pathway for students, educators, school transportation professionals, state administrators, and associations to contribute to a national school bus safety message.

That state-to-national connection is an area NAPT is working to strengthen through its newly formed Strategic Initiatives Committee, chaired by Dawnett Wright, director of transportation at Peninsula School District in Washington and member of the NAPT board of directors, serving as Region 5 director.

In the association's announcement, they said: “National initiatives are strongest when they are brought to life in our states and local communities. The Poster Contest is a perfect example, a student may begin by creating something in a classroom or local school district, but through the engagement of our state partners, that student's voice can ultimately become part of a national safety message. Our Strategic Initiatives Committee is focused on strengthening those connections and creating more opportunities for states to engage with initiatives like Love the Bus Month (February) and National School Bus Safety Week (held each year during the third full week of October) and the National School Bus Safety Poster Contest, which becomes the focal point to School Bus Safety Week. When we connect the work happening locally, statewide, and nationally, we amplify our collective impact.”

2026 National School Bus Safety Poster Contest Winners

Division 1 – Grades K–2

• 1st Place: Alston Lai, Anne Sullivan Elementary School — Sugar Land, TX
• 2nd Place (Tie): Bilal Shayan, Bradford Woods Elementary School — Bradford Woods, PA
• 2nd Place (Tie): Alexa Camila González, Varner Elementary — Powder Springs, GA
• 3rd Place: Seleah Buttery, Paradise Knoll — West Milford, NJ

Division 2 – Grades 3–5

• 1st Place: Maria Montero, JM Hill Elementary — East Stroudsburg, PA
• 2nd Place: Vedanshi Daghupati, Cheshire Elementary School — Delaware, OH
• 3rd Place: Emma Yee, Woodward Parkway Elementary — Farmingdale, NY

Division 3 – Grades 6–8

• 1st Place and Overall National Winner: Sai Darshana Yekolu, Moseley Middle School — Prosper, TX
• 2nd Place: Aashna Tandon, Harris Road Middle School — Concord, NC
• 3rd Place: Kathleen Ashcraft, Shady Spring Middle School — Shady Spring, WV

Division 4 – Special Education (Grades K–12)

• 1st Place: Jamal Moore, Rockwall-Heath High School — Heath, TX
• 2nd Place: Christian Villafan, Stars Academy — Paterson, NJ
• 3rd Place: Colton Brainard, Marbrook Elementary — Wilmington, DE

Division 5 – CAD (Computer-Aided Drawing)

• 1st Place: Olivia Brown, Burlington County Institute of Technology Westampton — Westampton, NJ

“Every one of these posters represents more than artistic talent,” said Molly McGee Hewitt, PhD, CAE, executive director & CEO of NAPT. “They represent students thinking about what school bus safety means to them and then sharing that message with the people around them. We congratulate Sai and all of this year’s national winners and we thank the teachers, transportation professionals, state associations, families and communities who create the opportunity for students to participate. This is what it means to be Driven Together, local voices connecting through state engagement to create a national impact.”

For the first time, NAPT will place the official 2026 National School Bus Safety Week poster directly into the October issue of School BUSRide. That means NAPT School BUSRide subscribers will receive a printed copy of the poster featuring this year’s national winning artwork and helping bring the student-created safety message into transportation departments, schools and communities across the country. A print-your-own version will be available online in the coming weeks, NAPT said.

Through its Strategic Initiatives Committee, NAPT plans to continue working with state partners to increase participation and engagement in national initiatives.

Details for the 2027 Contest

NAPT will announce the theme and complete guidelines for the 2027 National School Bus Safety Poster Contest following NAPT ACTS this fall.

The drawing period is expected to begin in November, providing students across North America with an equitable opportunity to participate while accounting for varying school start dates.