Press Release  MassDOT Launches National Work Zone Awareness Week Billboard Design Contest for Massachusetts College Students

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) today announced the launch of its fourth annual National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW) billboard design contest for Massachusetts college students. The contest aims to raise awareness about work zone safety and encourages drivers to exercise caution when passing through active construction and maintenance projects.  

"Under the Healey-Driscoll Administration, safety is a top priority for all.  As we deliver critical transportation infrastructure projects, safety of the motorists and our workforce is paramount at MassDOT and the MBTA. Our employees are out on the front lines maintaining and improving the roads, bridges, transit, and infrastructure that keep our residents, communities and businesses moving and protecting them is a responsibility we all share,” said Interim Transportation Secretary and MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng. “Through this contest, we welcome college students, our future leaders, to help us raise awareness for work zone safety and to educate drivers on the importance to follow the rules of the road for themselves, and the hardworking men and women of our maintenance and construction crews.” 

“At MassDOT, we put safety at the forefront of everything we do, and this contest allows us to broaden our outreach to younger drivers to help reinforce the importance of driving safely through work zones,” said Undersecretary and State Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver.  “Work zone safety is only assured if we all do our part, in our continuing efforts to remind people that ‘safe actions save lives.’” 

“Work Zone Safety is everyone’s responsibility if we are going to keep the men and women working to improve our infrastructure safe out on the roadway," said Assistant Administrator for Traffic and Safety Neil Boudreau. "Engaging our Massachusetts college students through this contest allows us to educate younger drivers about the importance of work zone safety and that safe actions can save lives.” 

National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW) is an annual campaign that highlights the importance of work zone safety and promotes efforts to prevent crashes and fatalities in roadway construction areas. The theme for NWZAW 2026 is "Safe Actions Save Lives,” emphasizing the role drivers play in protecting roadway workers and fellow travelers. By following traffic laws, slowing down, and staying attentive, drivers help protect both themselves and people working in work zones. 

MassDOT is inviting students currently enrolled Massachusetts colleges to design a billboard that promotes the theme and encourages drivers to be cautious when driving through work zones. Winning designs will be displayed on digital billboards along highways across Massachusetts during the 2026 construction season.    

The top three designs will receive scholarships provided by the Construction Industries of Massachusetts (CIM) and the Massachusetts Aggregate and Asphalt Pavement Association (MAAPA).

• 1st place: $1000 and 3-month billboard display (June, August, November)
• 2nd place: $600 and 2-month billboard display (July, October)
• 3rd place: $400 and 1-month billboard display (September)The contest closes April 17, 2026, and winners will be announced May 5 during the 2026 MassDOT Transportation Innovation Conference. 

Students interested in participating can review submission requirements and design specifications and submit their entries at: 

Submission Guidelines

• No more than 3 entries may be submitted by any one individual/group. If more than 3 entries are submitted, some or all of the submissions of the individual/group may be excluded.
• No illegal, offensive, or obscene content of any kind.
• All designs must include the NWZAW theme and promote work zone safety.
• Each submission must be the original work of the participants. Designs utilizing professional or non-student support will not be eligible for entry. If it is discovered that a winning design used outside assistance, the design and participant(s) will be disqualified from the contest.
• The use of AI-generated imagery, language or other elements, either partially or fully, is strictly prohibited. Entries found to contain AI-generated imagery, language or other elements will be disqualified from the contest.
• Submissions that do not follow the design specs will not be considered. See detailed design specs below.
• Winner’s names will be posted and shared publicly. Winners hereby authorize MassDOT to publish, reproduce, disseminate, and use their names by all written, spoken, and filmed media provided that the purposes are publicity and information related to this contest.  If a winning student is underage, the party holding parental authority or legal representation of the winning student will provide such authorization on the student’s behalf.
• Please submit contest design entries via the contest landing page on the MassDOT website.
• Contest submissions will be accepted through April 17, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. (EST).
• To submit an entry, visit mass.gov/work-zone-billboard-contest-2026.

MassDOT Digital Billboard Design Specs

• Please prepare each design as JPEG files in RGB color @72 dpi,
• Full bleed to edges with NO crop marks, and NO surrounding border.
• Designs must include the MassDOT logo, the CIM logo, and the MAAPA logo. MassDOT, CIM and MAAPA logo may only be used in the original colors, all black, or all white.
• Avoid large white background areas, as it can result in exceeding acceptable brightness standards in certain communities.
• Put the size of the artwork in the file name (i.e.: NWZAW_LastName-1400x400.jpg). Files should not exceed 14 mb.  

Intellectual Property

1. Participants affirm their submissions are their own original work, have not been copied from others or from previous designs, including their own, and do not violate the intellectual property rights of any person or entity.
2. Submissions become the sole property of MassDOT and may be used for any MassDOT purposes, including, but not limited to, display on websites, billboards, press releases, social media, and other materials. CIM and MAAPA will also be permitted to use the winning submissions for its business purposes, including but not limited to, display on its website and in its advertising.
3. MassDOT shall have the right to adapt, edit, modify, or otherwise use any winning submission in part or in its entirety in whatever manner it deems appropriate.

Determination of Winner

1. The winning entries will be selected by a panel comprised of MassDOT, CIM, MAAPA senior management. Panel members will not include any MassDOT, CIM, or MAAPA employees who have a family member currently enrolled in a Massachusetts college.
2. Entries will be judged on their visual appeal, adherence to the NWZAW theme, quality of design, and ease of reproduction for the purposes stated above.
3. The winners will be notified via email and announced during the 2026 MassDOT Transportation Innovation Conference, Mass.gov website, and MassDOT social media accounts.

Additional Rules and Guidelines

1. MassDOT is not responsible for lost, late, misdirected, incomplete, illegible, or otherwise unusable entries, including entries that are lost or unusable due to computer, internet, or electronic problems.
2. MassDOT reserves the right to cancel or modify the contest any time, including after the submission window has closed.  MassDOT reserves the right to reject any submission for any reason.  MassDOT’s decisions, including not to select any winners, are final in all matters relating to this contest.
3. MassDOT reserves the right to choose not to use the winning entries as described in these contest guidelines.
4. MassDOT may substitute a prize of equal or greater value.
5. If a winner is determined to have violated any rules, MassDOT reserves the right to rescind the award from the winner, even if the determination is made after the winner has been awarded.
6. MassDOT is not liable, for the purpose of winner notification and delivery, in the event the contest winner has provided incorrect, outdated, or otherwise invalid contact information.
7. No purchase is necessary to participate in this contest.
8. Entrants agree to release, defend, indemnify, and hold MassDOT, MAAPA and CIM harmless with respect to any and all claims arising from their entries.
9. Information collected from contest entrants is subject to the Mass.gov Privacy Policy:

https://www.mass.gov/privacypolicy. 

NWZAW 2020 Theme Example Graphic

To learn more about National Work Zone Awareness Week by American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA), visit https://www.nwzaw.org/ .  

###