The Portland Bureau of Transportation and Multnomah County Library received a record-breaking 487 design submissions for the 2026 Bike to Books design contest. Winners were selected from four age categories: Pre-K to 2nd grade, 3rd to 6th grade, 7th to 12th grade, and adults.
The contest winners were Hilde Harkness of North Portland Library for "Earthy Day" (Pre-K to 2nd grade), Lily Essley of Holgate Library for "The Coral Ride and the Knight with the Shining Sword" (3rd to 6th grade), Quinn Rosenhall of Woodstock Library for "The Rainy Day Trip" (7th to 12th grade), and Danielle Thomas of Troutdale Library for "A Wild Adventure" (adult).
The Bike to Books program invites Multnomah County residents to design art for local bike lanes as part of National Bike Month celebrations in May. Grand prize winners will have their designs installed on Portland bike lanes and neighborhood greenways near their local library branches in spring. The Portland Bureau of Transportation's street striping crews will perform the installations using thermoplastic and propane torches.
Since the program's start in 2017, the city has installed 24 original artworks on Portland streets. The Multnomah County Library selected curated book lists inspired by each winning design to complement the street art installations.