• by Larissa Faw , June 7, 2019

The Ad Council is recognizing the winning high school and college students who created PSAs to spread the word about the dangers of distracted driving during a ceremony in NYC's Times Square on Friday, June 7. 

A special Snapchat filter, donated by Snap, also was unveiled during the event. 

Now, these PSAs will receive national exposure through 1,600 TV stations nationwide, iHeartMedia radio stations, and Clear Channel Outdoor’s hundreds of printed billboards and over 1,200 digital billboards.

This year's "Project Yellow Light" competition received a record-breaking 2,709 submissions. Creative was received from students representing all fifty states and Washington, D.C. 

“Young people are passionate about using their creativity and voice to prevent distracted driving, and together with our fantastic partners we can support their lifesaving messages on a national scale," says Lisa Sherman, President/CEO, Ad Council.

Top awards in the college division: 

One Decision – grand prize
Crazy Drive – 2nd place 
Don't Go Extinct – 3rd place 

Top awards in the high school division:

The Text – grand prize
Stick to Safety – 2nd place 
An Annoying Friend – 3rd place  

The student winners receive scholarship awards ranging from $1,000 to $5,000, funded with support from Aspire, AT&T’s $500 million commitment to education and skilling, Apparent Insurance, Clear Channel Outdoor and Elephant Insurance.

This initiative is one of the Ad Council's most extensive and wide-ranging collaborations.  The group has partnered with advocacy group Project Yellow Light to amplify student work since 2011. 

“The high volume and incredible quality of impactful submissions received for the 2019 competition speaks to the importance of the work being done by Project Yellow Light and founder Julie Garner," says Colleen Benzin, Managing Director, Apparent Insurance. "The winning entries will, no doubt, reach students and their peers and motivate them to consider their safety on the road. We’re proud to partner in the fight for safe driving.”