The UPS Store, Inc. made its fourth appearance at the Rose Parade® today, winning the Sweepstakes Award for its inspiring float, "Stories Change Our World," created to underscore the need to improve children's literacy on the national stage and instill the spirit of hope.

The Sweepstakes Trophy is presented to floats for the most beautiful entry, encompassing overall float design, floral presentation and entertainment. This is the second year in a row that The UPS Store, Inc. won the parade's prestigious top prize.

"The UPS Store, Inc. is once again honored to receive this year's Sweepstakes Trophy for our majestic float," said Tim Davis, president of The UPS Store, Inc. "We are incredibly grateful to the float builders, float decorating volunteers and The Tournament of Roses^® volunteers and staff in helping us highlight the importance of childhood literacy in a colorful way and in a national spotlight."

The UPS Store, Inc. sponsored Rose Parade float, titled "Stories Change Our World," made its way down Pasadena's iconic 5.5 mile stretch of Colorado Boulevard. Designed by Fiesta Parade Floats, the majestic float showcased tamarin monkeys, an endangered species, alongside toucans, salamanders, butterflies and parrots, to represent hope and strong community ties.

At 35 feet tall and 55 feet long, the float featured thousands of fresh flowers with animated animals and three sparkling waterfalls, all of which were synchronized and powered by a state-of-the-art hydraulic system. The float was meticulously adorned with diverse floral varieties, from vibrant blue statice blossoms to 25,000 dark pink Hot Lady roses.

The fanciful float served as inspiration for the winning young authors of "Tell Your Tale," a short story contest. Their stories are included in a special anthology book, in which 10,000 print copies are being handed out at the Tournament of Roses Post Parade event through Jan. 2. The book is also available for download online. Additionally, a number of the books are being distributed in braille to the Los Angeles area to support literacy for children that are visually impaired.

The national retailer's showing at the parade serves as the culmination of the annual Toys for Tots Literacy Program, created by The UPS Store, Inc., and the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation in 2008. Through its 4,800 plus retail locations in communities throughout the United States, The UPS Store^® network has collected more than $5.1 million and distributed over 41 million books to help children who need it most since the Toys for Tots Literacy Program began. For more information visit https://www.theupsstore.com/literacy.

About The UPS Store

With approximately 5,000 locations across North America, The UPS Store^® network comprises the nation's largest franchise system of retail shipping, postal, print and business service centers. The UPS Store locations in the U.S. are independently owned and operated by licensed franchisees of The UPS Store, Inc., a subsidiary of UPS (NYSE: UPS). Services, products, pricing and hours of operation may vary by location. For additional information on The UPS Store, visit theupsstore.com.

In 2019, The UPS Store ranked #5 overall in Entrepreneur Magazine's Franchise 500 and #1 in the Postal & Business Centers category for the 29th consecutive year. For information on franchise opportunities for opening a The UPS Store location, visit https://www.theupsstorefranchise.com/. Follow The UPS Store on Twitter at @TheUPSStore and like The UPS Store on Facebook at facebook.com/theupsstore.