Delco students’ art wins in state alcohol awareness contest

During a ceremony in The State Museum of Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) April 19 recognized 52 students who participated in the 25th annual Alcohol Awareness Poster Contest. Winners included two Delaware County students: Aliya Mengine, fourth grader at Media Elementary School, and Richie Chism, fifth grader at Westbrook Park Elementary School. Chism is a previous contest winner.

“Every year through the Alcohol Awareness Poster Contest, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board challenges students across the commonwealth to create positive, no-use messages that can influence their peers. And, every year, the students of Pennsylvania deliver some amazing, colorful, creative results that encourage fun, healthy, safe alternatives to underage drinking,” said PLCB Chairman Tim Holden. “We are proud to celebrate April as Alcohol Awareness month by recognizing the work and talent of our young artists.”

In their winning poster designs, students focused on positive messages, such as the benefits of being alcohol-free and healthy alternatives to drinking, such as hobbies and extracurricular activities. The PLCB will use the designs to create posters, bookmarks, and coloring sheets to distribute throughout Pennsylvania. In addition, grade winners will have their artwork reproduced in a calendar. Students who created the best pieces received cash prizes.

Nearly 750 students from 38 counties participated in this year’s contest, using crayons, ink, colored pencils, paint, and computergenerated imagery to create their posters. Entries were judged on presentation and message. Since the poster contest began in 1992, more than 35,000 entries have been submitted.

This year’s winning posters were displayed in The State Museum of Pennsylvania from April 17 through April 21.

The PLCB regulates the distribution of beverage alcohol in Pennsylvania, operates more than 600 wine and spirits stores statewide, and licenses more than 20,000 beverage alcohol producers and retailers. The PLCB also works to reduce and prevent dangerous and underage drinking through partnerships with schools, community groups, and licensees. Taxes and store profits – totaling $15.1 billion since the agency’s inception – are returned to Pennsylvania’s General Fund, which finances Pennsylvania’s schools, health and human services programs, law enforcement, and public safety initiatives, among other important public services. The PLCB also provides financial support for the Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement, the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, other state agencies and local municipalities across the state. For more information about the PLCB, visit www.lcb.pa.gov