San Diego, CA, Wednesday, September 30, 2026—The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) has announced the recipients of the NASCIO 2026 State IT Recognition Awards. This year, nearly 140 submissions were received from NASCIO member states and territories and more than 55 NASCIO members served as volunteer judges.
The award program honors technology innovation and excellence in state government. The submissions showcase the use of technology to address critical business problems, more easily connect citizens to their government, improve business processes and create new opportunities that improve the lives of citizens. To ensure states have access to the innovations and leading practices of their peers, all award submissions have been added to NASCIO’s Awards Library.
NASCIO Awards Committee co-chairs Bry Pardoe, CIO for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and Tim Galluzi, CIO for the State of Nevada, announced the recipients at the awards and recognition dinner at the NASCIO 2026 Annual Conference.
Award recipients of the 2026 State IT Recognition Awards are:
Artificial Intelligence
State of California: From Hours to Minutes: Generative AI for California’s Transportation Network
Cross-Boundary Collaboration
State of Connecticut: Clean Slate: Connecticut’s Data Driven Justice Reform Changes Lives
Cybersecurity
State of Michigan: Securing Michiganders via MiLogin: Free Cybersecurity Awareness and Training Program
State of Ohio: Transforming State Cybersecurity Operations
Data Management, Analytics & Visualization
State of Utah: Customer Experience: A Feedback Engine Capturing the Pulse of the State Government
Digital Experience: Agency/Program Solutions
State of Utah: Modernizing International Document Authentication for the Digital Age
Digital Experience: Enterprise Solutions
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico: Simplifying Transportation Services Through Citizen-Centered Digital Innovation
Enterprise Technology Management
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania: Contact Center Modernization
Information & Communications Technology
State of Illinois: The Power of Touch: Modernizing Safety for Blind Students
Operational Efficiency:
State of Ohio: Driving Operational Excellence: How AI Accelerated Statewide Cloud Modernization
State CIO Office Special Recognition
State of Minnesota: The Engine of Modernization: Minnesota’s Technology Modernization Fund
To review these and other submissions, please visit NASCIO’s Awards Library.