Maine Wins Two International Awards for its State Web Portal

AUGUSTA – Maine’s official state Web portal, www.Maine.gov, has recently been honored as a top government Web site receiving two separate awards that recognize achievements in the fields of both creativity and communications. The Web site received a Silver Communicator Award of Distinction from the International Academy of Visual Arts and a Bronze Summit Creative Award presented by the Summit International Awards Organization.

“The internet has become a primary source of news and communication for many individuals with access,” said Governor Paul R. LePage. “It is good policy to ensure Mainers have easily accessible information about their government. Maine citizens can be proud that their state Web site is consistently recognized as one of the best.”

The state of Maine’s award-winning website was revamped May of last year, taking mobile-ready design to the next level, along with a fresh look, faster speed, and a powerful new search engine.

In February, the Governor launched a new financial transparency website to provide Maine citizens and the general public with access to basic, easy to understand information regarding state finances and government spending. Through the new Maine Open Checkbook website, individuals will initially be able to research the details of state expenditures, including vendor payments and employee compensation. Next year the State plans to expand the service to include revenue data and other detail related to expenses. Future enhancements are planned to include expanded analytics with graphs and comparative reports.

“The State of Maine has set very high standards for its Web site,” remarked Greg McNeal, Chief Technology Officer for Maine’s Office of Information Technology and Chair of Maine’s InforME Board, overseeing Maine.gov. “A successful Web presence can be achieved for all states, both big and small, through creativity and strong partner relations. I believe these awards recognize that.”

The Communicator Awards are an annual competition honoring the best in advertising, corporate communications, public relations and identity work for print, video, interactive and audio. The awards are judged and overseen by the International Academy of the Visual Arts (IAVA), a 600+ member organization of leading professionals from various disciplines of the visual arts dedicated to embracing progress and the evolving nature of traditional and interactive media.

The Summit Creative Award recognizes and celebrates the creative accomplishments of small and medium sized advertising agencies and other creative groups. Participating judges come from both large and small-size companies and universities and over the past seventeen years, the competition has established itself as the premier arbiter of creative excellence for firms of this size.

Learn more about Maine.gov through RSS Feeds, Twitter and Facebook

About Maine.gov

Maine.gov (http://www.Maine.gov) is the official Web portal of the state of Maine. Maine.gov is a service of InforME, a collaborative effort between the state of Maine and Maine Information Network, LLC. part of the NIC (NASDAQ: EGOV) family of companies.

About NIC

NIC Inc. (NASDAQ: EGOV) is the nation's leading provider of official government portals, online services, and secure payment processing solutions. The company's innovative eGovernment services help reduce costs and increase efficiencies for government agencies, citizens, and businesses across the country. NIC provides eGovernment solutions for more than 3,500 federal, state, and local agencies in the United States. Additional information is available at http://www.egov.com.