The New York State Office of Information Technology Services (ITS) today announced the 12 winners of the New York State “Kids Safe Online” Poster Contest. The winners were selected from over 550 participants, from schools across New York State. Winning posters may be viewed on the ITS website.
The goal of the contest, held annually since 2005, is to engage young people in thinking about cybersecurity and encourage their peers to use the internet safely and securely. The contest also serves as an opportunity for teachers across New York State to address and reinforce cybersecurity and online safety issues in the classroom. Students have a chance to illustrate their concerns about cyberbullying, sharing too much personal information and the appropriate use of social media platforms with their peers and teachers in a positive way.
The contest, hosted by the New York State Office of Information Technology Services, was open to New York State students in kindergarten through twelfth grade.
New York State Chief Information Officer Dru Rai said, “With the ever-accelerating pace of technology and the introduction of children to the internet at younger ages, it is imperative that we equip our children with the knowledge and skills necessary to safely navigate the digital landscape. The sheer number and quality of submissions we received this year demonstrate to me that students across New York State possess a strong awareness of online safety issues and they are to be commended for their desire to promote digital safety and responsibility among their peers.”
"NYS has been hosting this contest for 20 years and every year I am thrilled to see the quality and creativity of the artwork that is produced. It is exciting to see entries from students across the state compete in such an important educational campaign. The competition was fierce this year and we are proud to announce the 12 contest winners,” said New York State Chief Information Security Officer Chris DeSain.
The winners’ artwork will be featured in the 2026 New York State “Kids Safe Online” Calendar. Winners will also receive a New York State certificate of achievement.
Congratulations to the 2024-2025 New York State Poster Contest winners:
Lyla Vidal-Engaurran, Grade 2, Ledgeview Elementary, Clarence Central School District
Alice Gordon, Grade 2, PS148Q, District 30
Mohamed Zaid Firthouse, Grade 1, PS148Q, District 30
Evelyn Thurber, Grade 5, Ledgeview Elementary, Clarence Central School District
Luke Story, Grade 5, Ledgeview Elementary, Clarence Central School District
Abdiel Alessandro Reyes Gomez, Grade 3, PS148Q, District 30
Chloe Lee, Grade 7, New Hyde Park Memorial, Sewanhaka CHSD
Valentina Valle, Grade 8, Stimson Middle School, South Huntington UFSD
Keira Xia, Grade 6, Plainview Old Bethpage Middle School, Plainview Old Bethpage School District
Cooper Forde, Grade 9, Plainedge High School, Plainedge School District
Isabella Catala, Grade 10, Saunders Trade and Technical High School, Yonkers Public Schools
Phoenix Chestnut, Grade 10, Global Concepts High School, Global Concepts Charter
Access more information on the New York State “Kids Safe Online” Poster Contest at its.ny.gov/cybersecurity.
About ITS
The New York State Office of Information Technology Services (ITS) was created in 2012 to transform IT services to make New York State government work smarter for its citizens and enable the state to be accessible for businesses using technology. ITS provides statewide IT strategic direction, directs IT policy, and delivers centralized IT products and services that support the mission of the State. ITS operates data centers 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to support statewide mission-critical applications for more than 50 agencies, over 17 million resident accounts, 120,000 employee accounts, 60,000 phones, 99,000 desktops and laptops, and 3,433 Virtual Desktop remote connections. ITS operates a secure network of over 1,600 miles of fiber to deliver telecommunications, Internet and Intranet services, enterprise email systems and support, IT training, networking, data storage and processing to State government entities in addition to developing new services in support of citizens, businesses, and State Agencies.
For more information, visit the ITS website and follow ITS on X, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.
