[ST. PAUL, MN] – Governor Tim Walz today announced that three State of Minnesota projects won top honors at the 2023 National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) State IT Recognition Awards. Minnesota’s Frontline Worker Pay Program, drone bridge inspections, and a driver and vehicle services’ virtual chatbot were honored from a list of 31 finalists nationwide across 10 categories, ranging from cybersecurity and business-process innovation to digital services and innovation.

“We are so proud to be recognized as a national leader in how we use technology to improve the lives, safety, and experiences of Minnesotans,” said Governor Tim Walz. “We’re committed to building new, creative ways to use technology to deliver the best services to Minnesotans .”

Commissioners from Minnesota IT Services (MNIT) and the Minnesota Departments of Labor and Industry (DLI), Public Safety (DPS), and Transportation (MnDOT) accepted the awards on Tuesday, October 10, at the annual NASCIO conference in Minneapolis. A first for Minnesota, seven of the state’s projects made it to the finals and three won top awards.

“This recognition shows that when we collaborate with state agency partners and invest in modern, person-centered experiences, we can reduce barriers to accessing services in Minnesota,” said MNIT Commissioner Tarek Tomes.

More information about the winning technology projects:

• The Frontline Worker Pay Program received the Digital Services: Government to Citizen State IT Recognition Award. The collaborative work deployed a platform focused on user experience to ensure Minnesota could process 1.2 million applications and distribute $500 million to eligible workers who served the public during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• MnDOT’s drone inspection multi-year project received the Emerging and Innovative Technologies State IT Recognition Award. The drone bridge inspections take advantage of 3D modeling to provide better quality data and asset management, improve safety for bridge inspectors and the public, and reduce traffic delays.

• The Department of Public Safety’s Driver and Vehicle Service’s virtual assistant received the State CIO Office Special Recognition State IT Award. The virtual assistant used AI technology to provide access to services to 67% of Minnesota’s non-English-speaking population and received overwhelmingly positive responses from individuals about how the work has made them feel and their ability to interact with the government in their language.

“It was an honor to administer the Frontline Worker Pay Program and provide the well-deserved and long-awaited recognition to so many of Minnesota's frontline workers for the extraordinary sacrifices they made during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said DLI Commissioner Nicole Blissenbach. “These workers deserve our thanks and I'm grateful to be part of the program that gave them a token of our appreciation. We are incredibly proud of this program and honored to receive this award.”

“Our bridge inspectors and crews work hard to ensure that Minnesota bridges are safe for the thousands of motorists and pedestrians who cross them daily,” said MnDOT Commissioner Nancy Daubenberger. “Through the use of technology—such as drones, 3D digital models and augmented reality—we have been able to improve the quality of Minnesota bridge inspections and help reduce safety risks, traffic disruptions and costs.”

“All Minnesotans who come for services at the Department of Public Safety deserve dignity and respect,” said DPS Commissioner Bob Jacobson. “The virtual assistant helps us to better serve those of our neighbors and community members for whom English may not be their primary language. Quite simply, it brings us closer to our commitment to those Minnesotans.”

NASCIO has presented State IT Recognition Awards for about 35 years to honor impactful and transformational information technology projects that help solve problems, connect citizens to government, streamline services, and optimize results within state government. NASCIO is the premier network and resource for state CIOs and a leading advocate for technology policy at all levels of government.

Access the press release from NASCIO’s website announcing the full list of award recipients here .