Winner for Best License Plate Award

Limited Edition Centennial Plate Announced as Winner for Best License Plate Award

Special Recognition for the First Plate to Ever Honor the History of License Plates

Dover -- It's Official! After a nationwide vote of the Automobile License Plate Collectors Association (ALPCA), Delaware's Limited Edition Centennial License Plate has won the Best License Plate of the Year Award. Other finalists for the award were Alaska, Minnesota, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Wyoming.

The black onyx & heritage gold colored plate - which honors the 100th anniversary of the license plate in Delaware - was selected for its combination of attractiveness and legibility of design. This is the first time in the nearly 40 year history of the program that Delaware has won the award.

Governor Jack Markell was genuinely excited when he stated, "It took one hundred years to be able to release the Delaware Centennial License Plate. Clearly, its selection as plate of the year means it is making the most of its limited run. Our DelDOT and Division of Motor Vehicles team did a great job designing and promoting the plate. I look forward to them winning again in 2059 for its Sesquicentennial run."

"We're thrilled to announce that Delaware has the nation's best license plate design this year," said ALPCA President Jeff Francis. "With so many states opting for elaborate graphics," said Mr. Francis, "it's refreshing to see a distinctive design that is still easy to read by law enforcement."

Since the Centennial Plate was introduced last fall, thousands of Delaware motorists have purchased one for their vehicle. The unique plate design is a celebration of 100 years since the first state-issued license plate was produced in 1909. Delaware is the first state ever to produce a commemorative license plate of this kind. Several other "firsts" for the awarding winning plate include being the first fully embossed license plate with raised letters and numbers in Delaware since 1941, as well as being the first optional license plate in the world where the validation sticker colors were designed to match the colors of the plate itself.

Centennial Plates may be displayed on all registered Delaware vehicles except motorcycles, mopeds, and IRP apportioned vehicles. Centennial Plate numbering matches the plate number currently assigned to the registered vehicle. All numerical plates and those with prefixes PC, RV, FT, C, CL, T, and D, as well as all vanity plates are permitted. Available for purchase for $100 through December 31, 2009, a Centennial Plate order can be placed with a credit card online at www.dmv.de.gov. Customers may also visit any DMV office, or call (302) 744-2503.

Since 1970, ALPCA has sponsored the annual Best License Plate Award program. Founded in 1954, ALPCA has over 3,500 members worldwide, and is the world's oldest and largest non-profit organization devoted to researching, collecting, and promoting license plates.