Safeway Announces Finalists in Sixth Annual Lucerne® The Art of Dairy™ Contest

Safeway Inc. and its exclusive Lucerne^® brand of dairy products today announced the names of 30 students selected as finalists to compete for a $30,000 grand prize in the Lucerne^® The Art of Dairy^™ "Sharing Joy" Art Contest. Lucerne has nourished generations of families with wholesome dairy products that support good health and enjoyable eating. It continues to nourish both the bodies and minds of today's generation through this unique program that aims to promote strong bones and creative growth, encourage the artistic ability of the students and highlight the importance of art education in schools. The contest also gives high school students the chance to display their artistic and creative talents on an unconventional canvas -- a life-sized fiberglass cow.

To promote dairy products as healthy snack alternatives for kids, Safeway and Lucerne^® asked high school students in grades 9 through 12 to submit designs using an outline of a cow as the canvas. In previous years, contest themes have included "Cows and History” and "Taste of Moo-Sic^™.” This year, the contest launched a new theme of "Sharing Joy” in which students were asked to interpret how they share joy through the arts. Thousands of students from as far away as Alaska and Hawaii stepped up to the challenge and visualized a range of joyful themes. Entries were accepted from September 1 to November 5, 2010.

Including this year's prizes, Safeway has awarded $327,000 in prize money and funds for art supplies through The Art of Dairy^™ Art Contest.

The 30 finalists will transfer their designs to life-sized fiberglass cow sculptures in the final phase of the competition. Each school receives a $250 stipend to purchase art supplies that their student finalist uses to decorate the cow sculpture. The Grand Prize winner will receive $20,000 for their school's art department, plus $5,000 each for the winner and their art teacher. The First Prize winner receives $5,000 for their school's art department, plus $2,500 each for the student and teacher. In addition, three Honorable Achievement winners and their teachers receive $1,000 each. The remaining 25 finalists will receive $500 U.S. Savings Bonds, bringing the total prize pool for the winners and finalists to nearly $60,000.

Once completed, the decorated cows will be on display at Safeway stores near the finalists' schools during the final judging phase. During this time, the panel of distinguished judges will review the entries to select winners. This year's judges include some of the most respected names in art. Bill Cone, a Pixar artist who has worked as a commercial illustrator, a set designer for Toy Story and as production designer for A Bugs Life, Toy Story 2, and Cars, joins the panel this year for the first time, along with Marilyn Nielsen, the Interim Director for the California Arts Council.

The Art of Dairy^™ grand prize winner will be announced in early May. Visit www.safeway.com/lucerne to see past winners, contest information, and healthy recipes.

About Safeway www.Safeway.com

Safeway Inc. is a Fortune 100 company and one of the largest food and drug retailers in North America, based on sales. The company operates 1,694 stores in the United States and western Canada and had annual sales of $41 billion in 2010. The company's common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol SWY. Safeway supports a broad range of charitable and community programs and in 2010 donated more than $250 million to important causes, such as cancer research, education and hunger relief.