2026 Government Productivity Awards – Nomination Questions
Thank you for your interest in nomination. Below are the questions for your review prior to when nominations open on June 3, 2026. As a reminder, only nominations submitted through the portal at https://floridataxwatch.org/Productivity-Awards will be accepted as official nominations. This document is for planning and preparation only.
As you review the questions for nomination, please keep the following in mind:
Each agency may nominate up to two (2) projects that have been implemented within the past 1–5 years. Those submissions may come from anyone in the agency, but each agency may nominate only two. Unless Florida TaxWatch receives an email from Senior Agency Leadership indicating otherwise, Government Productivity Awards judges will consider only the first two nominations received from each agency. Should a joint-agency project or implementation be nominated, that will be counted separately from an agency’s other nominations.
Nominations may recognize an individual or a team of up to ten people. The Government Productivity Awards will honor a maximum of ten achievements from those nominated; each individual OR team will receive a plaque and a cash prize from the total prize pool of $25,000.
Though all information provided will be considered in prize decisions, the Productivity Awards place a premium on recognizing and rewarding (1) actual and direct cost savings/cost-efficiencies and (2) innovation.
To be eligible for a cash award, the nomination must present a convincing case that the project or implementation did save as much money as claimed. Savings should not be nebulous, such as, for example, “time savings from faster traffic.”
The same is true for innovation. Innovative projects have never been done before or “break the mold” with true “outside-the-box” or highly creative thinking and/or problem solving. Particularly for innovative projects or implementations, please highlight any aspects that may be a “first-in Florida,” “first-in-the-nation,” or of particular national significance. If a nomination claims to use technology that has been standard for many years, such as AI integration, internet instead of mail, or creating a simple spreadsheet, explain why it is truly innovative.
Merely doing one’s job very well does not support a Government Productivity Award. Most top achievements are achieved by demonstrating above average initiative and/or perseverance and extra effort. If an achievement is worthy of recognition, this initiative, perseverance, and effort must be extensively detailed to show it is beyond the norm of the individual or team’s job description.
Some achievements may affect the private sector in a positive way. Let us know how the achievement reduced time, effort, or expenses faced by the private sector and whether it created jobs or expanded a business in Florida.
Increasing efficiency whether through reduced time or labor is a reliable measure of achievement and usually produces significant savings. If the savings were achieved as the direct result of increasing efficiency, the process must be explained in plain, easy-to-understand language.
Another indicator of an “above and beyond” achievement is that it has been, or can be, patented or copyrighted. Explain what makes your nominated achievement eligible for a patent or copyright.
Of course, many worthy nominations don’t neatly lend themselves to evaluation under traditional criteria. There may be unusual, external circumstances that distinguish the nomination. These types of nominations are important to widen the variety of achievements considered, broadening the program. For these nominations, please share as much information as possible for judges’ evaluation.
The first question requests an email address; this field should contain the email address of the person you would like to serve as primary contact for the Productivity Awards. More contact information will be collected in later questions.
