Calling Civic 50 award nominations

As the new year begins, we at civic.com would like you to take a look back

before you proceed forward. We're raising the curtain on Civic 50, our

second annual awards program to honor innovation in government information

technology. We're looking for the best IT projects from 2000, and hoping

state, county and city officials will take the time to nominate the work

they're most proud of so it gets the recognition it deserves.

You might notice that the name of the award has undergone a slight

adjustment — it was the State and Local 50 last year. But why say it in

four words when two will suffice?

Although the name has changed, the premise has not. We still want to

know about your most forward-thinking applications and ideas — specifically,

the ones that had the biggest impact on the way your government does business.

Last year, we were thrilled with the impressive list of candidates that

came from the largest states and the smallest communities. In the end, winners

represented agencies of all stripes — law enforcement, schools, permit

offices, transit authorities and many more. And the applicants' programs

included ways to pay bills online, deliver information to the public, ease

police investigations and bolster economic development.

Our goal is not only to acknowledge jobs well done, but also to give

other governments ideas on what they can do with IT. We're eager to hear

about what you've done this year.

Nominations will be accepted until March 15. We'll then forward them

to a panel of judges composed of representatives from government, industry

and academia.

Judges will consider how much of an impact the project had, if it saved

money or improved day-to-day operations, if it paved the way for social

or economic improvements and whether it sets a good standard for other

government agencies. The winners will be notified in the summer.

Submit nominations online at www.civic.com — just look for the Civic

50 logo.

So, launching into 2001, take a few moments to consider what you did

right in 2000. We look forward to hearing about your accomplishments, and

know our readers do as well.