Arkansas State Agencies Honored with Three W3 Awards

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The state of Arkansas, in partnership with the Information Network of Arkansas (INA), has been recognized this week with three W3 awards from the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts. Projects from the Arkansas Secretary of State, Arkansas State Highway Transportation Department and Arkansas.gov all received Silver Winner accolades for pushing the boundaries of creativity in Web design and online marketing in a competition that drew more than 4,000 entries worldwide.

“It's an honor for Arkansas to be recognized once again for its groundbreaking, creative digital work in the public sector,” INA Board Chair Ann Purvis said. “These awards speak to the collaboration and shared vision between our state agencies and partner, INA, and our ongoing efforts to exceed the expectations of citizens when they interact with government online.”

Arkansas state agencies won the following W3 Awards:

• IDriveArkansas.com – Government Website 2014 Silver Winner (Arkansas State Highway Transportation Department)
  This responsive, interactive map presents real-time highway travel and weather conditions, and helps drivers make informed decisions about navigating the roads. Anyone with a mobile device, laptop or desktop computer can use IDrive Arkansas to get an overall understanding of what is happening on the state highway system.
• “Dream for a Living” – Public Service Web Video Silver Winner (Arkansas Secretary of State)
  As part of a Dream It Do It Arkansas website that makes it easier for entrepreneurs to open their business in the state, this Arkansas Secretary of State video celebrates the reasons why people become entrepreneurs and encourages Arkansans to follow their dreams.
• Arkansas.gov - Government Website 2014 Silver Winner
  The recently redesigned state portal website features a modern design and innovative features including texting service Gov2Go, Smart Search, vertical parallax scrolling and a mobile-optimized “responsive” design that ensures citizens can access the site on any device.

About the W3 Awards

The W3 Awards honors creative excellence on the Web and recognizes the creative and marketing professionals behind award-winning websites, web videos and online marketing programs. The W3 Awards is sanctioned and judged by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts, an invitation-only body consisting of top-tier professionals from a “Who's Who” of acclaimed media, advertising and marketing firms. For more information, visit www.w3award.com.

About INA

Arkansas.gov is the official Web site of the state of Arkansas and a service of the Information Network of Arkansas offering more than 1,100 state and local online services. The Information Network of Arkansas is a public-private partnership between the state of Arkansas and the Arkansas Information Consortium that helps state government entities Web-enable their information services. Little Rock-based AIC is part of eGovernment firm NIC's EGOV family of companies.

About NIC

Founded in 1992, NIC EGOV is the nation's leading provider of official government websites, online services, and secure payment processing solutions. The company's innovative eGovernment services help make government more accessible to everyone through technology. The family of NIC companies provides eGovernment solutions for more than 3,500 federal, state, and local agencies in the United States. Forbes has named NIC as one of the “100 Best Small Companies in America” five times, most recently ranked at No.11 (2013), and the company has been included three times on the Barron's 400 Index. Additional information is available at http://www.egov.com.