News Release: PBOT and Multnomah County Library announce the 2026 Bike to Books winners

The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) and Multnomah County Library are excited to announce the winners of the2026 Bike to Books Design Contest. Imagination, color, and whimsy were abundant in this year's contest when Portland-area youth and adults submitted a record-breaking number of Bike to Books designs with 487 unique designs!

The Bike to Books program celebrates National Bike Month in May, inviting Multnomah County residents to design art for local bike lanes. Winners were selected from each of the four age categories: Pre-K to 2nd grade, 3rd to 6th grade, 7th to 12th grade, and adults. PBOT and Multnomah County Library staff reviewed and voted on all the entries.

Grand prize winners will have their art installed on Portland bike lanes and along low-traffic streets known as neighborhood greenways. PBOT's street striping crews do all the installations. Designs will be installed next spring near the artist's local library branch.Learn more about how the street art is installed using thermoplastic and propane torches in this video.

Love this year's winning designs? Be sure to check out book lists (linked below) inspired by the winning designs picked by Multnomah County Library's librarians to enhance your biking and reading experience! While you are at it, check out their list ofBike Month themed books for ages 2-12.

Artists were asked to share their inspiration for the bike art design they created and those statements are included with the winning designs below.  

Without further ado, here are the winning designs that will be rolling up to a bike lane near you soon! Take a look and get inspired for next spring's contest.

Winner: Pre-K - 2nd Grade - "Earthy Day" by Hilde Harkness, North Portland Library

Check out the Earthy Day book recommendations!

View full size image of Winning Bike to Books design for the Pre-K - 2nd Grade category is a smiling mushroom riding a green and red bike. Titled "Earthy Day", by Hilde Harkness.

View full size image of Pre-K - 2nd grade winner's inspiration for their design is, "I just thought about a mushroom guy. And it made me think of Earth Day, which is special to me."

Winner: 3rd - 6th Grade - "The Coral Ride and the Knight with the Shining Sword" by Lily Essley, Holgate Library

Check out The Coral Ride and the Knight with the Shining Sword book recommendations!

View full size image of Winning Bike to Books design for the 3rd - 6th Grade category is a blue and yellow swordfish riding a colorful bike encrusted with different corals. Bubbles float around the scene. Titled "The Coral Ride and the Knight with the Shining Sword", by Lily Essley.

View full size image of 3rd - 6th grade winner's inspiration for their design is, "Nature documentaries and wanting to help protect the ocean."

Winner: 7th - 12th Grade - "The Rainy Day Trip" by Quinn Rosenhall, Woodstock Library

Check out A Rainy Day Trip book recommendations!

View full size image of Winning Bike to Books design for the 7th - 12th Grade category is a green frog with dark green spots riding a blue bike. The frog holds a red umbrella and rain drops fall and splash on the scene. Titled "The Rainy Day Trip" designed by Quinn Rosenhall.

View full size image of Inspiration for this design is, "I love to ride my bike with my family. We go to the store and my dad always buys ice cream sandwiches. And Portland always rains."

Winner: Adult - "A Wild Adventure" by Danielle Thomas, Troutdale Library

Check out A Wild Adventure book recommendations!

View full size image of Winning Bike to Books design for the Adult category is a racoon wearing a blue helmet and riding a blue bike. A front bike basket is stacked with books and a squirrel rides on top of the books. Titled "A Wild Adventure" by Danielle Thomas.

View full size image of The adult winner's inspiration for their design is, "All the wonderful creatures that visit my yard."

Second place runners-up

View full size image of Second place winning designs in the 2026 Bike to Books competition feature rats, a hot dog, a dragon, and a frog on bikes.

Third place runners-up

View full size image of Third place winning designs in the 2026 Bike to Books competition feature a potato, pigeons, hedgehogs, and a TriMet bus all riding bikes.

To get a better look at the winning and runner-up designs, visit the Bike to Books website.

Thanks to everyone who participated in Bike Month 2026! We look forward to seeing what's in store for 2027!

Bike to Books

Bike to Books is the annual design contest from the partnership of the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) and Multnomah County Library. The Bike to Books program has brought colorful creativity to Portland's bike lanes and neighborhood greenways since 2017. Since then, PBOT has installed 24 original artworks in Portland bike lanes. Pre-K to 12th grade students and adults are invited to design bike lane art as part of May Bike Month. First-place designs are installed on Portland streets by PBOT striping crews.

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The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) is the steward of the city's transportation system and a community partner in shaping a livable city. We plan, build, manage, and maintain an effective and safe transportation system that provides access and mobility.