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Welcome to the Center for Digital Government’s

2010 Digital Government Achievement Awards Program

THE PROGRAM: The Digital Government Achievement Awards create a forum for recognizing not only agency and department Web sites, but also outstanding contributions at the application and infrastructure level. Due to the tremendous number of requests for inclusion ALL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, ALL LEVELS of government and ALL COUNTRIES, may enter their applications and projects.

Online applications (that enhance interactions, transactions and/or services) or project entries or Web sites must be submitted by officials, executives or staff from any government agency, provided the online entry, and any inquiries or additional requested materials are provided in English.

By June 1, 2010, all applications must be in production and fully operational (no pilots). The purpose of the DGAA is to showcase innovative and useful digital applications around the world. Therefore, unlike the Best of the Web competition, this is a one-time only award. Winners may only re-submit the same entry where there is a new suite of services or major upgrade.

Deadline for submissions online is extended to June 8, 2010.

CONTEST CRITERIA:

INNOVATION (30%)
This criterion focuses on the "Wow!" factor - that is, the innovative use of technology or stand-out approaches. What we are looking for here is what hasn't been done before or what is cutting edge. We are also interested in new ways of innovating across agencies or jurisdictions and co-creation through social networks and other collaborative platforms.

A competitive submission will clearly describe its latest innovation through a Web site, Web service or other online application, delivered across devices including mobililty devices. It will also explain the degree of innovation, why the innovation was needed, and how the innovation has improved service delivery and the user experience.

FUNCTIONALITY (50%)
This criterion focuses on the functionality that supports end-to-end transactions with high ease of use and satisfaction for interactions between citizens, businesses and governments.

A competitive submission will include but is not limited to:

SECURITY: the ability to securely complete transactions;
PRIVACY: a plain language statement explaining safeguards for any personally identifiable information collected or displayed through the site;
USABILITY: clean appearance and ease of navigation, and commonality of look, feel and functionality among transactions or interactions of similar type (or within the same environment or domain); and,
ACCESSIBILITY: a commitment to universal design consistent with accessibility standards (commonly known as Section 508 or W3C Level One guidelines) and subject to third party validation or certification.

EFFICIENCY AND ECONOMY (20%)
This criterion focuses on measuring the impact of the solution on the operations of governmental institutions.

A competitive submission will identify:

(a) whether a Return On Investment (ROI) method was formally used in assessing the impact of the solution;
(b) if yes, which ROI was used (Cost Benefit, Value-add, Net Present Value, etc.;
(c) what those measures indicate; and,
(d) combined with soft-dollar benefits, what the impact of the solution was on the cost structure of performing particular functions.
(e) the degree to which the initiative was a function of austerity measures and how it contributed to easing financial pressures while preserving service delivery.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE ONLINE SYSTEM:

The contest link: You have opened your unique contest entry form. It is not necessary to complete the nomination in one session. As long as you are using the same computer and browser each time, you may open the link and enter data at additional times until you click on the final Submit button, or until your cookies are cleared. If you open the link from another computer, you will not see your saved data - it will be a new entry form.

The Center for Digital Government strongly recommends that you download the Word document linked below to your PC to allow you to compose and save your responses as a back-up to the online submission. (You can print each page from the online form but it will only show a few lines of text responses.) Upon request a copy of your response will be available after the awards process is complete.)

Click here to download the 2010 Best of the Web Awards nomination Instructions, Criteria and Questions document. (This document cannot be saved to the contest online. It should be downloaded and used as a backup copy of the online submission.).

Back and Forward Arrows: Use the arrows at the bottom of the page to navigate through this form: DO NOT use the browser Back button. Each time you click on these arrows, it will save your responses up to that page. In order to save responses on the same page you entered them, click on the forward ">>" arrows.

Please write clear, concise and plain language statements, and spell out or expand acronyms and initials on first use. All text is converted into one continuous paragraph, so use a numbering system and bullets to clarify ideas. Tables, graphs, screen shots, etc. will not transfer into the online form, so if you wish to present them for judging, post them on your Web site and include that URL link in the online entry.

Do not clear your cookies until after submission, as that will sever the link and delete your responses.

The online submission is the complete, official entry. You must click on the Submit button after completing your responses to submit your entry. NOTE: Once you have submitted your entry you will need to contact Janet Grenslitt in order to edit your responses. Upon request, a copy of your entry will be available after the awards process is complete.

For assistance, contact Janet Grenslitt, Surveys and Awards Director, at jgrenslitt@centerdigitalgov.com, or 916-932-1363.

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