Center for Digital Government Announces 2026 Government Experience Award Winners

68 jurisdictions recognized for their innovative approaches to delivering more connected and effective digital experiences

SACRAMENTO, CA, UNITED STATES, October 14, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Center for Digital Government (CDG), a trusted brand of e.Republic, today announced the winners of its 2026 Government Experience (GovX) Awards. The awards honor the states, cities, counties, and agencies that are making their services easier to use, more inclusive, and more engaging.

Now in its 10th year, the program recognizes governments that use shared tools and new technology to improve their services, make information easier to find, and better meet residents’ needs.

“Congratulations to this year’s GovX Award winners,” said Rob Lloyd, Executive Director of the Center for Digital Government. “These awards set a high bar, with expert judges looking closely at the design and impact of services. This recognition reflects the commitment, creativity, and hard work governments are investing in being more responsive and accessible. We celebrate the teams who are pushing government forward and turning ideas into results for communities across the nation.”

How Government Services Are Changing
In addition to recognizing individual winners, CDG’s survey of participating governments revealed four key shifts:

* Services are being redesigned around the constituent. Sixty percent of strategies from responding governments promote an integrated, unified digital service ecosystem, reflecting a move from department-specific services toward more constituent-centered journeys.

* Shared infrastructure is creating more consistent experiences. Eighty percent of governments have a centralized portal, signaling a shift toward shared platforms that deliver more unified services.

* AI and underlying data are moving into practical service delivery. Fifty-four percent of governments now use AI assistants, demonstrating how AI is moving from experimentation into real government workflows, supported by increased access to and use of organizational data.

* Constituent experiences are increasingly being measured and tracked. Eighty-nine percent of governments track digital adoption, showing a growing emphasis on measuring how constituents interact with digital services.

“The pace of change in government is accelerating, and expectations for digital services are rising among the people and businesses government serves,” said Lloyd. “Massachusetts, Santa Clara County, the City of Corona, and all of our category and project winners show how public-sector teams are responding. They are adopting new tools, strengthening the systems behind the scenes, and continually improving how residents get the services they need. They deserve tremendous credit.”

The 2026 GovX Award winners are:

Overall State Government Experience Winners
1st Place – Commonwealth of Massachusetts
2nd Place – State of Texas
3rd Place – State of Iowa
4th Place – Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; State of Utah (tie)
5th Place – State of Missouri

Outstanding Achievement
State of Colorado, State of Maryland, State of Michigan, State of New Jersey, State of Vermont

Overall County Government Experience Winners
1st Place – Santa Clara County, Calif.
2nd Place – Cumberland County, N.C.
3rd Place – Montgomery County, Md.
4th Place – Chesterfield County, Va.
5th Place – Albemarle County, Va.

Outstanding Achievement
Charlotte County, Fla.; DuPage County, Ill.; Orange County, N.Y.; San Diego County, Calif.; Union County, N.C.

Overall City Government Experience Winners
1st Place – City of Corona, Calif.
2nd Place – City of Scottsdale, Ariz.
3rd Place – City of Kansas City, Mo.; City of Racine, Wis. (tie)
4th Place – City of Wichita, Kan.
5th Place – City of Bellevue, Wash.

Outstanding Achievement
City of Alexandria, Va.; City of Carson, Calif.; City of Mesa, Ariz.; City of Rancho Cordova, Calif.; City of Riverside, Calif.

Project Experience Awards
CDG also presents Project Awards that recognize excellence in specific areas. Governments and agencies across the country submit nominations for projects that make it easier and more effective to interact with government.

In total, 68 jurisdictions were recognized for their dedication, creativity, and focus on improving digital experiences. The 2026 winners will be celebrated during a virtual event on October 15. View a complete list of award winners here.

CDG thanks the corporate members that underwrote the 2026 GovX Awards: Accela, Amazon Web Services, Armis by ServiceNow, CGI, Cisco, Fortinet, Global Solutions Group, Google Public Sector, HP/AMD, JetStream, Lumen, Oracle, Portage CyberTech, Red Hat, SAP, SHI Public Sector, Socure, Tanium, T-Mobile for Government, Tyler Technologies, UiPath, Verizon Enterprise Solutions, Wiz, and Zscaler Public Sector.

For the quantitative part of its scoring, CDG also used ScanGov, an open-source tool that tracks the performance and health of official government websites, mobile apps, and social media accounts.

About the Center for Digital Government
The Center for Digital Government (CDG) is a national benchmarking and advisory institute focused on technology policy and best practices in state and local government. Learn more at https://www.govtech.com/cdg.

The Center for Digital Government is a trusted brand of e.Republic.

Heidi Lorenzen
e.Republic
+1 925-353-8836