High school students across Montgomery County have a message for their peers: “Put those phones away when driving or walking.”  That theme was emphasized as the Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) announced the winners of its 2025 Heads Up, Phones Down video contest.   

Htoo Lin of Richard Montgomery High School was the grand prize individual winner. David Salinas and Zachary Long of Seneca Valley High School took the grand prize in the team category.   

The contest asked students to produce videos encouraging peers to not allow cell phones to distract them while driving and walking. The contest received nearly 100 video entries.  

“Our young people are often the most effective messengers when it comes to promoting safety,” said Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich. “The students who took part in this contest are helping to save lives by reminding their peers—and all of us—that distracted driving and walking can have tragic consequences. I want to extend my gratitude to the nearly 100 students who submitted entries into this year’s contest. I’m proud of their creativity and commitment to keeping our roads and sidewalks safer for everyone.”

The County contest was open to Montgomery public and private high school students. Entries were submitted either individually or as a group of up to four in English or Spanish.   

The MCDOT Pedestrian Safety team visited the schools of the grand prize winners on March 14 to surprise the creators of the top entries with prizes, balloons and fanfare.  

Prizes awarded in both the group and individual categories included a grand prize, and first- and second runner-up prizes. Winning group submissions received $800 for the grand prize, $400 for first place and $200 for second place. The prize money was split evenly within each group, with each member receiving their portion of the winnings on a Visa gift card. Individual submission winners qualified for prizes that included an Apple MacBook Pro, an Apple Watch or a tripod.   

The contest winners, with links to their winning videos:  

Individual Winners  

• Grand Prize Winner: Htoo Lin, Richard Montgomery High School. ‘No Message More Important than Making it Back.’  

• First Runner Up Winner: Fernando Rodriguez Batres, Wheaton High School. ‘Success in Crossing the Road and YOU!’  

• Second Runner Up Winner: Tihun Oler, Northwest High School. ‘Safety to the T.’  

 Group Winners  

• Grand Prize Winners: David Salinas and Zachary Long, Seneca Valley High School. Title of video. ‘Chatterbox.’  

• First Runner Up Winners: Mirae Denaro and Tyler Skibo, Walter Johnson High School. ‘Heads Up Phones Down 2025.’  

• Second Runner Up Winners: Mohammad Abbasi and Everett Welsh, Walter Johnson High School. ‘HUPD Poem.’  

“In Maryland, more than 6,000 young drivers are injured and 14 are killed annually from car crashes,” said MCDOT Director Chris Conklin. “Distracted driving is a key factor in many of these collisions. Dialing a phone number while driving increases a teen's risk of crashing by six times, and texting while driving increases the risk by 23 times. We need to encourage young drivers to hold themselves accountable and hold each other accountable. These videos are a positive way to send a message about a deadly behavior.”