The judging criteria and categories for Ireland’s eGovernment Awards differ depending on the category you are entering.

1. General Criteria

For the general entries, which include the Central, Local, State Body, Innovation, Education and Cross Agency categories, our judges are looking for ICT based projects that encompass electronic or web based services that:

• Improve public access to services and information that support self service or improve general services
  
• Support ‘start to finish’ interactive services support by ICT
  
• Improve internal processes to provide greater efficiencies
  
• Illustrate an ability to revolutionise and innovate in order to solve problems or improve services
  
• Provide cost or resource savings
  
• Are designed to be accessible to both citizens and public service users
  
  

1. Promoting Ireland Overseas Criteria

This year our judges are looking for entries for this category that meet the following criteria:

• Encourage active investment or links with Ireland
  
• Utilise web communications including social networks to promote Ireland
  
• Events, information and networks to support links and information exchange with Ireland
  
• Online services that support emigrants, immigrants and the Irish Diaspora
  

• Accessible Criteria

Here the judges are looking for details of the steps you have taken to enhance ease of use for all and accessibility to people with disabilities. Areas here include content, use of clear and simple language, provision for people whose first language is not English, overall usability of the site, accessibility for people with disabilities, look and feel, functionality and information architecture and navigation.  

1. Irish Language Criteria

This year the judges are looking for online services that can illustrate how they effectively facilitate those who wish to access all of their services in the Irish language. In particular, they will be looking for details of how the information and services are delivered and accessed online.

1. Innovation Criteria

This year our judges are looking for innovative projects and services that meet the following criteria:

• Creation of a new & original perspective on how eGovernment services are implemented in Ireland
• Development of a new technology or the new use of a technology in an innovative way in relation to eGovernment services
• The service impact of the innovation on the users (whether internal users or by the public)
• The project management of the delivery of the innovation
• Future development potential for the innovation in the existing service and / or across new services and departments

1. Open Source Criteria

This year our judges are looking for open source entries that meet the following criteria:

• Provide more effective tools for use by eGovernment services
• Evidence of contribution directly to free and open source projects or the promotion of free and open source philosophy
• Collaboration in an open source project or community

1. Marketing criteria

The Marketing Irish eGovernment Award will be awarded to the organisation that illustrates excellence in the marketing of ICT based services. This year our judges are looking for entries for this category that illustrate excellence in the marketing of ICT based services. They will be assessing entries for this category based on a clear illustration of marketing skills in the areas of:

• Marketing techniques – use of innovative marketing techniques to promote your eGovernment services
• Promotion of eGovernment services – how you responded to the objectives of the campaign to promote your services and the results you achieved
• Positioning of your eGovernment services – how promotions of your eGovernment services fit within your overall marketing activity
• Marketing objectives – how effectively marketing objectives were met

1. Mobile Ireland eGovernment Award

This is one of two new categories for 2012. For the Mobile Ireland eGovernment Award, our judges are looking for entries for this category that illustrate excellence in the use of mobile technology and mobile application based services. They will be assessing entries for this category based on a clear illustration of your skills in harnessing mobile in the areas of:

• Mobile technology – use of innovative mobile technology, platforms or Apps to promote your Government services
• Marketing using mobile – how you used mobile channels to help you deliver on your objectives or promote services and the results you achieved
• Opening up access to services – how effectively your mobile site or App has provided better/improved access to government services or information

1. Social Media Ireland eGovernment Award

This is a new category for 2012 and our judges are looking for entries for this category that illustrate excellence in the marketing of ICT based services. They will be assessing entries for this category based on a clear illustration of marketing skills in the areas of:

• Social Media techniques – use of innovative social media platforms and networks to promote or communicate government services
• Use of social media to communicate or promote government services – how you utilized social media to meet your goals and objectives
• Social media delivering efficiencies or savings – how your use of social media improved your overall service and communications based on specific goals

If you have any queries in the meantime please contact us by email: info@irishegovernmentawards.ie or telephone +353 (0)1 400 4250