NAGW Pinnacle Awards 2026
The NAGW Pinnacle Awards celebrate outstanding achievements in digital government innovation. We are proud to recognize the exceptional work that has transformed government services. Below, you'll find all the details about this year's awards, categories and criteria.
Important Dates
- Competition Opens: Tuesday, May 26, 2026
- Submission Deadline: Sunday, July 12, 2026
- Awards Presentation: Pinnacle Awards Dinner on October 8, 2026, during the NAGW National Conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Why Enter?
The Pinnacle Awards honor the organizations and projects making government digital services more useful, accessible and effective. Entering gives your team a chance to earn national recognition from peers and industry leaders who understand the work that goes into serving the public online. It’s a way to showcase successful websites, digital tools and communication strategies that are making a real difference for residents.
Who Can Enter?
The Pinnacle Awards competition is open to all local government jurisdictions (cities, counties, towns, villages, special districts, etc.), non-governmental organizations, state and federal jurisdictions. Vendors and consultants may also submit entries on behalf of their government clients, provided they are submitted under the client's name and jurisdiction. Awards will be presented in the client’s name and jurisdiction.
NAGW membership is not a factor in competition judging.
Entry Fee
- NAGW Members and Non-members: $150 per award entry (except for Steven Michael Moore Pinnacle Award)
- Payable by credit card or check. NAGW must receive payment by Aug. 2, 2026, for your entry to be eligible for the competition.
Entry Eligibility
- Timeframe: Anything produced, completed or launched from January 1, 2025, to present is eligible for entry in the 2026 Pinnacle Awards competition.
- Repeat entries: The exact same project, program, post, campaign or entry may not be submitted in multiple years.
Pinnacle Award Categories
Excellence in Government Web Design
Recognizes the best city/county, federal, state, special district, nongovernmental and microsite websites. Entries are judged on content, organization, design, performance, flexibility, accessibility, standards and interactivity.
- Best City/County Website Small Population
- Best City/County Website Medium Population
- Best City/County Website Large Population
- Best Special District/Nongovernmental Website
- Best State/Federal Government Website
- Best Microsite/Special Site Feature
- Members’ Choice
Excellence in Digital Innovation and Engagement
This award celebrates forward-thinking digital projects that demonstrate creative use of technology to enhance public engagement, service delivery or access to information. It recognizes government teams that go beyond standard practices to launch innovative digital tools, programs, or campaigns that improve the user experience and make a measurable impact on their communities.
Projects should demonstrate originality, strategic thinking, measurable engagement, and alignment with best practices in digital governance.
- Best Social Media Post or Campaign
- Best Use of AI or Automation
- Best Podcast / Multimedia / Video
- Best Online Service / Transaction Tool
- Best Data Dashboard / Transparency Tool
- Best Mobile Experience / Custom App
- Best Accessibility Initiative or Improvement Plan (training, roadmap, remediation program, governance model, etc.)
- Best Virtual Community Engagement Initiative
- Best Crisis / Emergency Communications
Submit a Digital Innovation Entry
Steven Michael Moore Pinnacle Award
Presented to a nominee for excellence in the government web profession. This award honors Steve Moore's legacy and selfless commitment to the profession and his colleagues. The award recipient should exemplify these qualities, regardless of his/her years of service or area of specialization.
Nomination Criteria:
- The nominee may be a current or former NAGW member.
- Self-nominations will not be accepted.
- Member is only eligible to receive the award once.
- Member may be renominated if they have not previously received the award.
- Member must have made major contributions as a government web professional through his/her body of work, including but not limited to:
Service as a leader for government web professionals- Development of local government websites
- Contributions to web design and/or programming
- Unique information presentation online
- Service to diverse populations
- Overall impact on communities
Judging
Pinnacle Awards judges include government web professionals, industry experts and academic partners with relevant expertise.
Interested in serving as a competition judge? Contact us at [email protected].
NAGW and judges reserve the right to reassign entries to categories other than those in which they have been submitted if they believe that this will result in a fairer evaluation. Categories may also be combined to ensure strong competition and meaningful recognition.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about the Pinnacle Awards competition, please contact NAGW at [email protected]
Past Winners
- View the list of previous winners of the NAGW Pinnacle Awards.
