This award is presented to a jurisdiction for a full multi-faceted campaign over $50k. 

This award is presented at the international level.

Each agency may submit only ONE campaign.

Criteria for selection:

• Content
• Innovation
• Effectiveness

2026 Winner

Speeding remains one of the most dangerous behaviors on Virginia roadways, contributing to hundreds of preventable crashes, injuries, and fatalities each year. To help drivers visualize the true consequences of speed, the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles and its partners created the “Speed Has an Impact” campaign. At its center stood a striking, bright yellow 54-foot Speed Ladder—a powerful educational tool that transformed an abstract concept into a tangible, unforgettable experience.

During conversations with engineers at the City of Richmond and our creative partners, Two Tango Collaborative, the engineers shared the idea of comparing speed to height, visually, and the campaign took off. The Speed Ladder illustrates that relationship through a simple but powerful demonstration. At the top is the question: “Would you push someone off this ladder?” The answer is, naturally, no—but tragically, hitting someone with a car going 40 mph does the same damage as pushing them off the top of the five-story ladder. As the ladder rises, markers show speeds, each representing the relationship between falling from that height and being hit by a car moving 10, 20, 30, or 40 mph. A dramatic companion video featuring a professional climber scaling the ladder offered a jolting top-down perspective that made the abstract dangers of speed startlingly real.

The campaign launched at The Diamond, home of minor league baseball team the Flying Squirrels, in partnership with the Virginia State Police and the City of Richmond. This collaboration framed the activation as a united community effort to reduce crashes and save lives. Baseball fans engaged with the Speed Ladder during a few summer games, connecting the thrill of speed on the field with the life-and-death consequences of speed on the road.

Building on that success, the Speed Ladder traveled to the Virginia State Fair, reaching thousands of visitors from across the Commonwealth. Towering above the midway, the installation became a visual landmark—drawing families, drivers, and media attention.

At both activations, DMV staff and volunteers hosted educational booths that engaged nearly 3,000 Virginians in meaningful conversations about safe driving—turning curiosity into education and education into personal commitment.

Together, these activations demonstrated the strength of a multi-faceted, experiential communications approach—blending live events, earned media, community partnerships, and grassroots outreach to reinforce one clear message: the faster the speed, the more deadly the impact.

The campaign’s visibility extended far beyond the in-person events. Through proactive media outreach, the Speed Ladder generated 48 media mentions, achieving an estimated reach of more than 131 million and $1.2 million in publicity value—with coverage even appearing in international advertising publications. Social media efforts further amplified the message, reaching 97,000 users and generating over 140,000 impressions.

By bringing physics to life in a way that was both accessible and emotional, the Speed Ladder campaign bridged data and empathy, transforming awareness into action. The campaign’s success has drawn interest from other states eager to replicate its impact,  marking this as an innovative, science-based traffic safety campaign supporting DMV’s mission to save lives on Virginia’s roads.