Five Oregon high schools win prizes in 2026 media contest to promote young worker safety

Students at Crescent Valley High School in Corvallis, Parkrose High School in Portland, Henley High School in Klamath Falls, The Dalles High School, and Centennial High School and Center for Advanced Learning in Gresham have earned top prizes in a media contest designed to increase awareness about workplace safety and health for young workers.

The 2026 media contest, organized by the Oregon Young Employee Safety (O[yes]) Coalition, called on participants to create an ad – through a compelling graphic design or video – that captures the attention of teen workers and convinces them to take the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division’s (Oregon OSHA’s) heat-illness prevention online course. The idea is to show teen workers that the online course is an essential tool they can use to protect themselves from heat-related hazards while on the job – especially when they’re working during the summer months.

Participants got to choose the key message, theme, or tagline they believed would rivet their audience and prompt it to act. The target audience was teen workers or teens who are preparing to work for the first time. To compete, participants submitted either a graphic design or a video that is no more than 90 seconds in length.

The top three entries in each of the two media categories took home cash prizes ranging from $300 to $500. In each category, the first-place winner’s school, club, or organization received a matching award. Moreover, O[yes] will use the best of the submissions as ads in its ongoing efforts to improve on-the-job safety and health protections for teens.

The top winners in each category were:

Videos:

• First place: Carlos Vanegas, Crescent Valley High School in Corvallis, Oregon
• Second: James Mitseff, Parkrose High School in Portland, Oregon
• Third: Toni Kimmel, Crescent Valley High School in Corvallis, Oregon

Graphic design:

• First place: Pyper Fussell, Henley High School in Klamath Falls, Oregon
• Second: Zachary Wilde, The Dalles High School
• Third: Dai’Joniea Gray, Centennial High School and Center for Advanced Learning in Gresham, Oregon

Check out the contest submissions at youngemployeesafety.org/contest/past-winners/2025-2026-media-contest-winners/.

The mission of O[yes] is to prevent injuries and illnesses, and promote well-being to young workers. The nonprofit does this through outreach, advocacy, and sharing resources with young workers, educators, employers, parents, and labor organizations.

The contest sponsors are local Oregon chapters of the American Society of Safety Professionals, Construction Safety Summit, Central Oregon Safety & Health Association, Hoffman Construction Company, Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences at Oregon Health & Science University, Oregon OSHA, SafeBuild Alliance, SAIF Corporation, and the SHARP Alliance.

###

Contact information

Aaron Corvin,
public information officer
971-718-6973
Aaron.corvin@dcbs.oregon.gov