Safeway Names Winners in the Lucerne^® ''The Art of Dairy^™'' Contest

PLEASANTON, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Safeway Inc. (NYSE:SWY) announced today the names of the grand prize, first prize and honorable mention winners of the Lucerne^® The Art of Dairy^™ "Cows & History" Art Contest. The contest invites thousands of students and classrooms from across the country to participate in a unique educational instruction to promote artistic creativity, academic excellence and healthy lifestyles.

Using a theme of “Cows & History,” students were asked to submit a depiction of a historical event or theme on a drawing of a cow. Nearly 6,000 students entered, and 30 finalists were chosen to transfer their designs to life-sized fiberglass cow sculptures. The winning students are:

Grand Prize Winner: “Sparti-Cow’s Charge” created by John Taing from John Marshall High School in Los Angeles, Calif. He will receive $20,000 for his school's art department, plus $5,000 each for himself and his art teacher. During judging, his cow was on display in a local Vons store in Safeway’s Southern California division.

First Prize Winner: “Fall of the Soviet Moo-nion” created by Arturo Lee from The Woodlands High School in The Woodlands, Texas. He will receive $5,000 for his school's art department, plus $2,500 each for himself and his art teacher. During judging, his cow was on display in a local Randalls store in Safeway’s Texas division.

Honorable Mention: “If there is no bread, drink milk instead” created by Jeayoung Yoo from Shadle Park High School in Spokane, Wash. She will receive $1,000 each for herself and her art teacher.

Honorable Mention: “Napoleon Bonaparte’s Udder-Destruction at the Battle of Water-moo” created by Kierstin Marie Barlow from Cascade Christian High School in Medford, Ore. She will receive $1,000 each for herself and her art teacher.

Honorable Mention: “Red, White and Moo” created by Thomas J. Hirsch from Glenbard South High School in Glen Ellyn, Ill. He will receive $1,000 each for himself and his art teacher. During judging, his cow was on display in a local Dominick’s store in Safeway’s Chicago-area division.

“We were extremely impressed with this year’s creative entries, and proud of John Taing and all of the talented contestants who participated in this unique contest,” said Safeway Executive Vice President Larree Renda. “This contest reflects Safeway’s ongoing commitment to schools and education-based initiatives in the communities that we serve.”

This marks the third year for the popular Lucerne^® The Art of Dairy^™ "Cows & History" Art Contest, which is meant to promote dairy products as healthy snack alternatives for kids. Safeway, the maker of Lucerne^® dairy products, asked students ages 12 to 18 to submit designs based on the theme "Cows & History."

The contest was designed to be cross-curriculum, tapping into both art and history. Students designed creative and historically-relevant concepts using an outline of a cow as the canvas. Entries were accepted from October 19, 2007 to December 17, 2007. The finalists, who were chosen in February, then transferred their designs to a life-size, fiberglass cow. Judging took place on April 14.

A distinguished panel of judges, including renowned graphic artist Michael Schwab and Mary Scott, Chair of the School of Graphic Design at the Academy of Art University, reviewed the entries and selected contest winners.

The contest is one of hundreds of education-based programs and initiatives that Safeway supports throughout its areas of operation. Each year Safeway provides more than $23 million in financial support to schools and education programs through the eScrip program. The eScrip program allows shoppers to raise money for schools simply by making purchases. Safeway donates a percentage of each shopping trip directly to their chosen school.

Visit www.safeway.com/lucerne for past and current 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 1,740 stores in the United States and western Canada and had annual sales of $42 billion in 2007. Safeway supports a broad range of charitable and community programs and in 2007 donated more than $172 million to important causes, such as cancer research, education, food banks and programs focused on assisting people with disabilities. The company's common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol SWY.