The majority of young New Yorkers walk to and from school, transit, and around New York City every day. The
We’re Walking Here competition encourages students to think about and discuss ways we can change
dangerous driver behavior and better protect ourselves in the traffic environment to prevent traffic fatalities
and injuries.
New York City is excited to launch the 2026 We’re Walking Here competition. The competition
encourages
students to use written lyrics, informal music videos, or dances to create their own original music
public
service announcement (PSA).
All New York City schools, K-12, are eligible to participate. The nine-week contest begins on
International Walk
and Roll to School Day, October 7, 2026 and ends December 11, 2026, when submissions are due. Cash prizes
are awarded to the top three winning schools. Competition kits are only distributed to the first 100
classrooms to sign up!
Curriculum and Activities
During the contest period, students will track the number of blocks they walk over a two-week period and then
engage in classroom activities. The students’ final project is to create a PSA to convey what they observed
during their walks, with a focus on traffic safety. Music PSA videos directed at either adult or teen drivers
are strongly encouraged.
Teachers may incorporate the Common-Core-aligned lessons into their science, language arts, math, health, and
physical education teaching goals. These lessons and activities will help students brainstorm and create their
PSA. We strongly recommend that students complete the structured walking activity to reinforce best traffic
safety practices.
A We’re Walking Here Starter Kit with curriculum, student hand-outs, and promotional items will be delivered to
the first 100 educators who register. Up to two classes per school are eligible for the kit delivery, but
additional classes may register to participate and download the materials.
The class that wins first place will receive a $1,000 prize, the second place class will receive a $750 prize,
and the third place class will receive a $500 prize. All prize money is provided by the Safe Streets Fund, a
private-public partnership dedicated to promoting safer streets, especially among students.
Register for We’re Walking Here
Registration for the 2026 We’re Walking Here competition is open! Registration ends October 2,
2026.
2025 Winners
This year’s winning schools were notified in January 2026 that their public service announcement (PSA) videos had
been selected as the top entries in the competition. Over a two-week period, students at each participating school
tracked the number of blocks they walked, took part in engaging classroom activities, and developed creative PSAs
highlighting their observations about pedestrian and traffic safety in their communities.
To help bring their messages to life, professional videographers partnered with select schools, providing guidance on
storytelling, production, and effective communication. The result was a collection of thoughtful and impactful
videos that showcased students’ commitment to promoting safer streets for everyone.
1st Place: PS 194K Raoul Wallenberg (Grade 5) 2nd Place: PS 62Q The Chester Park School (Grade 5) 3rd Place: IS 30K Mary White Ovington (Grade 6)
Congratulations to all of the students, teachers, and school communities whose hard work, creativity, and dedication
helped make this year’s program a success.
Video description: Elementary school children point out unsafe behaviors around traffic and share
street safety tips through a dance choreography.
Past Winners
During the 2024 contest period, students tracked the number of blocks they walked over a two-week period, engaged in
classroom activities, and created a PSA to convey what they observed during their walks, with a focus on traffic
safety.
1st Place: PS 69K Vincent D. Grippo School (Grade 4) 2nd Place: PS 194K Raoul Wallenberg School (Grade 5) 3rd Place: Tottenville High School (Grade 12)
