For the 17th consecutive year, NASCIO, representing the chief information officers of the states, has selected winners to receive the 2004 Recognition Awards for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Information Technology.

The awards are given annually to state IT programs and systems that have created proven cost effective, innovative solutions in the operation of state government. This year the program received 120 nominations from 36 states. Winners were selected in eight categories.

NASCIO President and Missouri CIO Gerry Wethington stated, "The NASCIO Recognition Awards program showcases preeminent state information technology solutions. Award recipients define NASCIO's vision to fully serve the public trust through the efficient and effective use of technology. NASCIO is pleased to recognize best practices in the states, highlighting their continued efforts to deliver quality services to citizens and enable state business agendas."

NASCIO's awards committee, comprised of state and corporate members, chose the award winners. Peter Quinn, CIO for the commonweath of Massachusetts, chaired the committee. Criteria for selection included a description of the project with length of time in operation; relative significance to the operation of government; benefits realized by service recipients, taxpayers, agency, state; and return on investment.

Full submissions from all nominations are posted on NASCIO's Web site.

In the following you will find a list of winners organized by category.

Communications Infrastructure
Winner: Commonwealth of Virginia: Wireless E-911 Deployment Project
Runner-up: The District of Columbia Wireless Networks Program

Digital Government -- Government to Business
Winner: Missouri Public Service Commission's Electronic Filing and Information System
Runner-up: Utah's OneStop Business Registration

Digital Government -- Government to Citizen
Winner: Michigan Electronic Filed Unemployment Claims Project
Runner-up: MyFlorida.com

Digital Government -- Government to Government
Winner: Virginia Base Mapping Program
Runner-up: Michigan Crash Process Redesign

Enterprise Information Architecture
Winner: New York State eMedNY Data Warehouse
Runner-up: Wisconsin Integrated Tax System

Innovative Use of Technology
Winner: District of Columbia DC Guide
Runner-up: Michigan Recreational Boating Information System

Security and Business Continuity
Winner: Michigan Critical Incident Management System
Runner-up: North Carolina Enterprise Information Technology Security Assessment

State IT Management Initiatives
Winner: Tennessee Information Systems Planning Process - - Strong, Dynamic and Inclusive
Runner-up: Kentucky Enterprise Project Management Initiative

NASCIO represents the state chief information officers from the 50 states, six U.S. territories and the District of Columbia. Members include cabinet and senior level state officials responsible for information resource management. Other IT officials participate as associate members and private sector representatives may become corporate members.