NABCA Awards
Montana Alcoholic Beverage Control Division
Award Year
2022-2023
Education Award $10,000
Supplemental Award $50,000
Focus Area Education | Awareness, Capacity Building | Collaboration
Alcohol Responsibility Matters
At just over 147,000 square miles, Montana is the fourth largest state in the U.S. and larger than 39 European countries. With such a vast landscape, the Montana Alcohol Beverage Control Division (ABCD) needed diverse messages to reach their varied audiences, from the plains to resort towns. For this reason, ABCD sought out a NABCA Education award to bring together artists from different
communities to craft billboard designs for the different regions of the state.
Montana ABCD offered five $2,000 scholarships to graduating high school seniors who won an art competition to create billboard designs to complement the Alcohol Responsibility Matters campaign throughout their regions. The artwork responded to this prompt: What does “alcohol responsibility matters” mean to you and your community?
Out of the 53 qualified applications, ABCD awarded five scholarships and seven honorable mentions. The five winning billboards were then installed in high-volume traffic areas throughout the state—generating over 1.2 million views.
Montana ABCD also relied on NABCA funds to continue outreach across Montana with mini educational summits focused on preventing sales to underage or intoxicated individuals. These events included train-the-trainer sessions, education sessions with local law enforcement, and community groups. The Responsible Alcohol Sales and Service Training Resources (RASS) training program engaged citizen groups in rural and urban areas interested in responsible alcohol practices.
Additionally, ABCD continued collaboration with state-wide law enforcement by financially supporting “wet labs,” where troopers and volunteers show the effects of small amounts of alcohol on driving; supporting DUI committees (Vision Zero); and partnering on speaking/training opportunities throughout the state. ABCD trained law enforcement professionals at the state’s law enforcement academy. Collectively, all these programs reached across Montana to engage students, community groups, and law enforcement groups about responsible alcohol awareness.