The new shape of digital government: Nominations now open for the 2027 Granicus Digital Government Awards
Government innovation looks different than it did just a few years ago. Public servants are using AI to provide support at any hour, connecting services across previously siloed departments, turning data and community feedback into action, embedding accessibility into service delivery, and building stronger relationships with their communities. The 2027 Granicus Digital Government Awards recognize the people, teams, and organizations reimagining how this work gets done as we invite our customers to share the stories behind these transformations.
The conversations around digital government today reflect a broader vision of what public service can achieve. Organizations are improving experiences for residents, increasing operational capacity, strengthening transparency, and finding new ways to engage communities. They are applying technology in service of outcomes that matter: helping people access information, complete important tasks, participate in civic life, and receive the support they need.
This evolution is seen throughout this year’s award categories. Accessibility for All recognizes organizations making services and information more inclusive. AI for Public Service highlights practical and responsible uses of artificial intelligence that fundamentally change how people interact with government. Outstanding Government Experience celebrates seamless and customer-centered interactions, while Insight to Impact focuses on turning data and community feedback into meaningful action. Changemaker recognizes the leaders driving innovation and transformation, and Power of Partnership highlights the collaboration required to solve complex public challenges. Together with categories such as Trust & Transparency, Operational Transformation, and Fostering Thriving Communities, they showcase the many ways public servants are improving how government works and the outcomes it delivers.
Taken together, the categories reveal where government innovation is heading. Digital government has become a discipline centered on outcomes, experiences, trust, and community impact. Technology plays an essential role because it helps organizations deliver better experiences and measurable results for the people they serve. The most compelling innovations help residents find answers faster, access services more easily, participate more fully, and build stronger connections with the institutions that serve them.
Those successes deserve a larger audience.
Government leaders are asked to demonstrate impact every day. They share results with executive leadership, elected officials, boards, community members, funding agencies, and internal stakeholders. A successful initiative often generates value far beyond the project itself because it creates evidence that investment, innovation, and public service can drive measurable outcomes.
That reality is one reason the Granicus Digital Government Awards exist. The program was created to recognize meaningful achievements and help share those stories with a broader audience. Award winners receive opportunities to showcase their accomplishments through customer stories, articles, media coverage, videos, social promotion, speaking engagements, and other forms of professional recognition. Those assets help organizations communicate results, celebrate teams, and highlight the value they are delivering to their communities.
Successful government innovations provide practical examples of what is working, give peers ideas they can adapt to their own organizations, and help elevate the work of public servants whose efforts might otherwise remain known only within their agency. Every successful project gives other organizations practical ideas they can apply to their own challenges.
The strongest nominations focus on people, outcomes, and evidence. They explain a challenge, describe the actions taken, and demonstrate measurable impact. They combine metrics with real-world examples that show how a service improved, how staff gained the capacity to focus on higher-value work, and how a community benefited. The most memorable entries help judges understand not only what changed, but why that change mattered.
This year’s awards include several new and refreshed categories, creating more opportunities to highlight different forms of innovation and impact. Whether your organization has launched an AI initiative, expanded accessibility, transformed an internal process, strengthened public trust, improved resident experiences, or delivered measurable community outcomes, there is an opportunity to share your story. Organizations may submit nominations in multiple categories when their work aligns with different areas of achievement.
The future of digital government is being shaped by public servants who continue to expand what is possible for their organizations and communities. The 2027 Granicus Digital Government Awards are an opportunity to celebrate that work, share its impact, and help more people learn from it.
Nominations are now open. If your organization is expanding what’s possible in public service, we encourage you to submit a nomination and share your impact.