The Ad Council and Project Yellow Light announced the winners of the 14th annual scholarship competition, where students have the opportunity to create public service advertisements (PSAs) aimed at educating their peers about the dangers of distracted driving, specifically cell phone usage while driving. The winning PSAs will be displayed in New York City on June 27 on a digital billboard in Times Square, with space donated by Clear Channel Outdoor.
Founded in 2007, Project Yellow Light commemorates Hunter Garner, who died in a car crash at age 16. According to the latest data, 3,275 people were killed and an estimated 324,819 were injured in crashes involving distracted drivers in 2023. Distraction affected 8% of fatal crashes, 13% of injury crashes and 13% of all police-reported crashes that year.
This year’s scholarships are sponsored by Clear Channel Outdoor and Elephant Insurance, with partnering support from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), iHeartMedia, National 4-H Council and PIX 11.
This year, the contest received 2,728 submissions from students across all 50 states and Washington, D.C. The 2025 scholarship prizes were awarded to:
- They Have 9 (billboard design, college): Jaiden Mehta (Southlake, TX)
- Oh Deer (billboard design, high school): Iliana Perry (Gilmer, TX)
- Typewriter (radio, college): Levi Bridge (Layton, UT)
- Nine Lives (radio, high school): Ben Michaels (Belmont, CA)
- Pavlov’s Distraction (video, college): Matilda Isobel (Wellington, FL)
- Gamble (video, high school): Victoria Pham (Irvine, CA)
This year’s entries were judged by a variety of advertising industry executives and artists who lent their time to support this scholarship competition. The panel for this year included recording artist and songwriter Aloe Blacc; renowned filmmaker and social activist Kweku Mandela; Wendy Clark, Partner at The Consello Group; Co-Chairman and Partner of Goodby Silverstein & Partners Jeff Goodby; award-winning poet, songwriter, and author IN-Q; and representatives from The Martin Agency and additional Project Yellow Light partners.
Since 2012, the Ad Council and NHTSA have collaborated to increase awareness regarding the dangers associated with distracted driving. The support for the Project Yellow Light Scholarship competition extends these efforts as part of the broader Distracted Driving Prevention Campaign.
“Project Yellow Light harnesses the creativity of our nation’s young people to convey a critical, lifesaving message: Distracted driving is deadly,” said NHTSA Chief Counsel Peter Simshauser. “These advertisements speak directly and authentically to teen and college-aged drivers, and NHTSA applauds these creators for using their talents to help save lives.”
“The creativity and dedication demonstrated by this year’s scholarship winners are truly inspiring. Their impactful PSAs not only highlight the dangers of distracted driving but also showcase the power of peer-to-peer messaging in saving lives,” said Michelle Hillman, Ad Council chief campaign development officer. “We are thrilled to celebrate their achievements and support their efforts in making our roads safer for everyone.”
“After a decade of supporting Project Yellow Light, we continue to be inspired by these talented students who are using their creativity to steer the conversation around distracted driving and influence safer road behaviors,” said Dan Levi, EVP & CMO, Clear Channel Outdoor. “Their ability to connect with their peers through messaging that truly resonates underscores the critical role young people play in combating distracted driving. We’re excited to welcome the new class of Project Yellow Light winners and amplify their lifesaving messages on our digital billboards that will reach millions across the country.”
“Congratulations to the winners of the 2025 Project Yellow Light and Hunter Garner Scholarship! We are incredibly proud of the innovative and powerful ways these young people are spreading awareness about the dangers of distracted driving among their peers,” says Alberto Schiavon, CEO of Elephant Insurance. “It has been both a privilege and an honor to support the crucial mission of Project Yellow Light for the past seven years.”
“iHeart has collaborated with Project Yellow Light and the Ad Council for over a decade to amplify youth-created PSAs highlighting the importance of staying attentive while driving,” said Jessica King, Senior Vice President, Communications and Community Engagement at iHeartMedia. “Project Yellow Light continues to make a real difference, empowering future media talent to create and produce content that helps save lives, and that iHeart is honored to share with our listeners.”
“PIX 11 is proud to support Project Yellow Light’s mission to curtail distracted driving. We congratulate the next generation of creative minds who produced such impactful content,” said Alexa Farrell, PIX 11 Transit Anchor.
