The Novelli Award was instituted to honor the memory of L. Richard “Dick” Novelli, who died of cancer in 1993 while serving as the STOP-DWI Coordinator and Traffic Safety Director for Niagara County. Because of Dick’s role as an educator, the award is given to programs that further STOP-DWI and/or Traffic Safety principles through community education.
Primary considerations are the program’s impact on the community, the originality of the design, the incorporation of either STOP-DWI or Traffic Safety principles, and the adaptability of the program to other communities. Consideration is also given as to whether the program could be used regionally or on a statewide basis. Some previous honorees include school assembly programs, victim panels designed for high school students, Veteran-specific traffic safety programs, and special events designed to promote STOP-DWI or Traffic safety programs where the designer or originator was a community member as opposed to an employee of a local program.
Please send the nomination form with an explanation of the program’s qualifications to Colleen Grebleski, Chemung County STOP-DWI Program, 425 Pennsylvania Avenue, Room 308, Elmira, New York 14904 or cgrebleski@chemungcountyny.gov by August 1, 2026.
Nominations will be forwarded to the STOP-DWI New York Awards and Recognition Committee.
New York’s STOP-DWI program is the Nations’ first and, to date, only self-sustaining impaired driving program. Other States have implemented components of self-sufficiency, but none to the degree of New York State.
