Best Plate Awards
Past winners
- 2022 Hawaii - Polynesian Voyaging
- 2021 Delaware - Plant Native Species
- 2020 Oklahoma - Save the Monarchs
- 2019 Oregon - Smokey Bear
- 2018 Maryland - Protect the Chesapeake
- 2017 New Mexico - Chile Capital
- 2016 Arizona - Route 66
- 2015 Alaska - Grizzly Bear
- 2014 Alberta - Support Our Troops
- 2013 Michigan - Mackinac Bridge
- 2012 Nebraska - Union Pacific Railroad Museum
- 2011 Arizona - Centennial
- 2010 New Mexico - Centennial
- 2009 Oklahoma - Native America
- 2008 Delaware - License Plate Centennial
- 2007 Mississippi
- 2006 South Dakota
- 2005 Kansas - Buffalo Personalized
- 2004 Oklahoma - State Parks
- 2003 Kentucky
- 2002 Oregon - Crater Lake
- 2001 Arkansas - Hummingbird
- 2000 Wyoming
- 1999 Virginia - George Washington Bicentennial
- 1998 Alaska (General Issue), Idaho Wildlife (Optional Issue)
- 1997 Manitoba (General Issue), Wisconsin Sesquicentennial (Optional Issue)
- 1996 Arizona (General Issue), no entries for optional
- 1995 Texas (General Issue), Pennsylvania Flagship Niagara (Optional Issue)
- 1994 Kansas
- 1993 North Dakota
- 1992 Mississippi
- 1991 Idaho
- 1990 South Carolina
- 1989 Oklahoma and Nova Scotia (tie)
- 1988 Oregon
- 1987 Idaho
- 1986 Utah
- 1985 Nevada and North Dakota (tie)
- 1984 Maryland
- 1983 California
- 1982 North Carolina
- 1981 South Dakota
- 1980 Kansas
- 1979 Indiana
- 1978 Wyoming
- 1977 Mississippi
- 1976 Michigan
- 1975 Colorado
- 1974 South Dakota
- 1973 Prince Edward Island
- 1972 Wyoming
- 1971 Pennsylvania
- 1970 Northwest Territories
Historical Note
by Jeff Minard (#495)
1973: Convention Notes from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
"The first Certificate of Award was given- now called the Best Plate Award. Pennsylvania was given the award for its 1971 issue, Wyoming for their 1972 plate and Prince Edward Island, Canada was given the award for its 1973 plate- all at once as a starting point. It was several years later that ALPCA gave the award to Northwest Territories for the 1970 Polar Bear plate, since it became clear that that this was a continuing issue and members wanted it to get an award. It was nominated every year anyway, so we marked its first year instead."
Background was that we did not have such a program in place before 1973 although we talked about doing such a thing- it's work to start it up. When in Ottawa, we really needed to honor the 1973 PEI plate as that year's winner, but lots of folks wanted to honor the NWT 1973 three-color issue- since it honored the RCMP Centennial with the yellow added to the blue on white. But it seemed odd to all of us, Canadians in the audience as well obviously, to honor the 73 NWT when it had started in 1970- the year before our program started. Honoring the 1970 NWT also broke the tie between NWT and PEI for 1973. Canadian plates were very competitive then for this award- the US plates, apart from the WY western graphics and the SD Rushmore, had little new to show until the Bicentennial kicked in a few years later. The PA 1971 was the first US Bicentennial plate - 5 years early. We did not actually do the 1970 NWT award until a couple years later.
Bottom line is we honored the Canadian plates very well, but needed to add the NWT for obvious reasons. By 1974 it was a simple red on white again, and was not nominated, so the first year was the best year.