The European Commission (EC) invites local and regional public sector organisations to submit their information and communication technologies (ICT) cases to the European eGovernment Awards 2009. Good practice case and experience will highlight how ICTs improve service delivery to citizens and businesses across Europe. Good practice cases will be selected for the European eGovernment Awards by a panel of independent experts.

The European eGovernment Awards intend to identify the benefits of ICT to society: improving the quality of life of citizens, increasing public trust in government, and enhancing the competitiveness of European enterprises. The awards stimulate innovation and shared learning by identifying and promoting good practices. The focus of the European eGovernment Awards is in line with the strategic goals of the 2010 initiative "A European Information Society for Growth and Employment" and other EC initiatives for the development of an Information Society for all. The awards also support the epractice.eu good practice exchange initiative.

The awards categories in 2009 are:

• Category 1 - eGovernment supporting the Single Market: The most outstanding practices in cross-border eServices and information sharing which have an impact on mobility for citizens and businesses across the EU will be identified.
• Category 2a - eGovernment empowering citizens: The focus here is on improved and easier access to public services for citizens as the major beneficiaries of eGovernment, ICT solutions for participation, and/or engagement and/or involvement of all groups in society.
• Category 2b - eGovernment empowering businesses: The focus here is on improved and easier access to public services for companies, creating business opportunities across Europe and thereby enhancing competition and generating savings for businesses and small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
• Category 3 - eGovernment enabling administrative efficiency and effectiveness: Innovation or re-organisation in services and processes making administrations more efficient and effective and reducing administrative burden will be considered.

A separate public prize will be awarded based on the online votes cast by members of ePractice.eu (membership open to all).

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All public administrations (national, regional, local, etc.) from European Union (EU) Member States, European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland), and Candidate Countries (Croatia, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and Turkey) that deliver eGovernment services and solutions can apply. Applications must be for cases currently in operation and supported by a public sector actor.

Cases are to be submitted using the online submission form available on the awards website. Relevant deadlines, eligibility criteria, evaluation criteria, and the guidelines for submission will be made available on the awards website in due course. The submission language is English.

epractice.eu website on April 3 2009.