CNYAPT

 

THE 2025-26 THEME HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED

  SAFE RIDES, EVERYDAY HEROES

First place posters will be selected and submitted to the National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT) for inclusion in the national competition.   Thank you in-advance to all who participate!

Good Luck!

CONGRATULATIONS 1st Place Division #5 Winner of the 2024/2025 National School Bus Safety Poster Contest

EMMA MACHISKI, Shenenedehowa Central School District

2024/2025 

Great Job!  We're so Proud of you!!!

 

1st Place Posters 

 

NYAPT State Contest

The New York Association for Pupil Transportation (NYAPT) conducts the New York School Bus Safety Poster Contest in partnership with the New York State Education Department and in accordance with guidelines and rules set forth by the National Association for Pupil Transportation's National School Bus Safety Poster Contest. This contest will take place during the 2025-2026 school year.  New York State judging will take place at the February Winter Workshop, February 19-20, 2026, at the new location, the Desmond Hotel, Albany, NY. First place winners will be submitted to National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT) for inclusion in the national competition.  

 

The poster contest is not intended to be a competition as much as it is a learning opportunity for our student riders about school bus safety.  

 

WHO MAY ENTER?

Any student enrolled at the elementary or middle grade levels (plus High School for Divisions IV and V only) in a public, non-public, charter, or private school in New York State may submit an entry, provided that the student is from a school in which there is a current member in good standing of the New York Association for Pupil Transportation or is from a school served by a private contractor that is a member in good standing in NYAPT.  Questions about member status can be addressed by the NYAPT office: membership@nyapt.org or 518-463-4937.
 

CATEGORIES

Posters may be submitted under five categories.  Note that First, Second, and Third place winning posters will be selected from each division, as follows:

Division #1 Grades K-2
Division #2 Grades 3-5
Division #3 Grades 6-8
Division #4 Special Education (K-12)
Division #5 CAD (Computer Aided Drawing)

Division #6 International 

Only those entries that win First Place in each division at the state level will be forwarded to NAPT for the national competition by the national deadline. All such winning entries become the property of the NAPT and are not returned.
 

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION

All posters must first be submitted to and judged by local NYAPT chapters in the area in which the posters were originally drawn. Do not send posters directly to NYAPT or NAPT.  Each Chapter is eligible to submit ONE poster entry for each division.  Consult local chapters for deadlines for local contests.

Posters judged and selected by each chapter for entry into the State Contest must be received by the NYAPT office on or before February 13, 2026, and should be sent to:

NYAPT
1764 Route 9 / P.O. Box 356
Clifton Park, NY 12065

NO POSTER ENTRIES WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER THE DEADLINE DATE OF February 13, 2026

NYAPT CHAPTER PARTICIPATION

NYAPT Chapters need to plan their local contests accordingly so that posters are judged and submitted to the NYAPT office on or before March 1,  2026 to allow for timely submittal for the national competition.

POSTER SPECIFICATIONS

1) Completed poster size must be 11” x 17” or 12" x 18".  

2) There must be a card/entry blank (see attached for official form) securely fastened to the back of the poster. Please print or type this information clearly and legibly.

3) Posters may be illustrated on the vertical or horizontal axis.

4) Do NOT roll or fold the posters. They must be mailed/delivered flat and in some form of protective packaging.

5) Designs should be submitted on quality tag, poster illustration board or heavy paper. Construction paper may be used but winning entries must be mounted on quality tag poster.

6) Lamination is not permitted and will disqualify the poster.

7) Cut paper/stencils (freehand or pre-drawn stick-on stencils) are not permitted and will disqualify the poster.

8) There is no limitation on the use and number of colors.

9) There is no limitation on the type of media - such as paint, crayon, felt pen, etc. used on the poster design.  However, wood, plastic, glass or metal should not be part of the poster. Collage materials should not be used.  Glued on pieces will eliminate the poster.  Poster designs may not incorporate any copyrighted characters, e.g., comic and/or television characters, photographs, magazines or newspaper illustrations.

10) Illustrations must be original, correct in safety concepts and the exclusive work of the student entering the contest in idea, design and execution. Illustrations should be positive in approach, demonstrating only proper school bus safety behaviors. At least a part of a yellow school bus must be present in the poster.

NOTE: Do not use the school district or company name on the front of the poster. Use of a specific school district or company name displayed on the front of the poster will disqualify the poster.

ALL POSTERS MUST HAVE THE  2026 THEME TO BE CONSIDERED:
SAFE RIDES, EVERYDAY HEROES

Entries for the 2025-26 National School Bus Safety poster contest may be submitted any time before March 1, 2026 

(Contestants must illustrate above theme only, and the theme must be exactly as shown with punctuation)

LETTERING

Freehand drawn letters only may be used on the poster design. Stenciled, pre-printed, manufactured stick-on or press-on letters or tracings may not be used and will disqualify the poster. Lettering should be clearly legible, even if used as part of the poster design. 

JUDGING

Posters will be judged at the state level at the March 7, 2026 NYAPT Poster Contest Committee Meeting held at the Desmond Hotel, Albany, NY. The winning posters may be used by NYAPT for educational purposes and contest promotion. Criteria for selection of award-winning posters are: 

   Safety Impact: Relationship of the poster design to school bus safety practices 
  Originality: Originality of the poster and how the idea is expressed in the poster design
  Artistic Quality: Artwork and its execution 
  Visual Impact: Visual impact of the poster design

All rules regarding poster specifications, themes, lettering, etc. must be followed. The penalty for non-compliance will be disqualification of the poster.

All entries become the property of NYAPT and will not be returned. Entries to the national competition become the property of NAPT, in accordance with the rules of the competition.

CONTEST PRIZES

New York State awards are as follows: 

1st Place Winners in each division: $100 check and certificate 
2nd Place Winners in each division: $75 check and certificate
3rd Place Winners in each division: $50 check and certificate

National Prize Award Levels:  Information is available at NAPT.org/PosterContest

The 2025/2026 Poster contest Announcement and Rules handout: 

2026 POSTER CONTEST ENTRY BLANK

For questions please contact:   

Colette Furcht - Committee Chair

colette.furcht@ehschools.org
Transportation Supervisor
East Hampton UFSD

631-329-421