Awards
The Innovator Awards honor groups or individuals that are shaping the path forward in the government and civic tech community. They are working on or delivering products and services that demonstrate Code for America’s belief that government can and should work well for everyone.
Recipients of each Innovator Award will be honored on the Summit mainstage.
2025 AWARD WINNERS
trophy Government Changemaker Award
With less than a year to deliver the initial product release, the Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) Division in Colorado launched a new state service. My FAMLI+ is an accessible, digital-first portal to administer services to people in the state. Coloradans can file and manage their claims, make updates, and receive text alerts and digital communications.
My FAMLI+ pioneered a human-centered paid leave experience. The system streamlines filing leave claims and takes the average filing time down to 12 minutes. In the first 11 months post-launch, over 100,000 Coloradans collected benefits amounting to over $600 million. So far, 47% of claims have been auto-adjudicated, significantly reducing staff workload. And the service is meeting Coloradans where they’re at: 97% of claims are filed online, and over 60% from a mobile device.
By rethinking paid leave processes around user needs instead of governmental requirements, My FAMLI+ has set a new standard for customer-centricity in public services.
trophy Community Partnership Award
Tech-Moms is an organization focused on empowering mothers by helping them transition into careers in technology. In Utah, where the tech industry is rapidly growing, Tech-Moms has partnered with government agencies to address workforce challenges and create pathways for women to enter high-demand fields. Since the program launched in 2020, they’ve enrolled over 400 women and graduated 26 cohorts.
Their programs provide child care assistance and flexible learning schedules to accommodate the unique needs of mothers, making it easier for them to pursue tech education. The mothers get trained in skills like coding and web development, and then have assistance finding internships and jobs in the field, creating a seamless pipeline from education to employment.
Tech-Moms empowers women by helping them build economic independence through careers in technology while working to close the gender gap in the industry.
2025 Award Categories
trophy Government Changemaker Award
The Government Changemaker award goes to an individual or group that applied a digital solution to a government system that improved their community access. The award winner will have used Code for America’s human-centered principles to deliver a solution that improved the quality of life for their community. At least a portion of this work must have occurred in the 2024 calendar year.
trophy Community Partnership Award
The Community Partnership award goes to an individual or group that has leveraged lived experience and partnered with government to address barriers in service delivery. This individual or group is passionate about addressing systemic issues with technology-based government solutions. At least a portion of this work must have occurred in the 2024 calendar year.
Past winners
2024
Legacy Achievement Award
Kara Swisher
Government Changemaker Award
CODE PA
Community Leadership Award
Tamika A. Williams, Program Manager, City of Memphis Office of Community Affairs
Gerald J. Joyner, Strategic Partnerships Coordinator, Opportunity R3, City of Memphis, Office of Community Affairs
2023
Legacy Achievement Award
Jennifer Pahlka
Government Changemaker Award
Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services
Community Leadership Award
Adams County Community Safety and Wellbeing Department
Frequently Asked Questions
Where and when is Summit 2025?
Summit will be held in Washington, D.C., May 29–30, 2025.
When will I find out if I’ve won?
Nominations for our Innovator Awards are open from November 14–25, 2024. Someone from Code for America will reach out to the nominee and submitter in February informing them that they have won. Either the individual that won or one representative from the organization that wins will be invited to accept the award during one of our Summit Mainstage sessions on May 29 or 30, 2025.
What do award winners receive?
Award winners will be invited to join us in person at Summit. Each winner will receive a trophy and recognition both as a part of our mainstage programming and on our website.
For each award, Code for America will comp two tickets to Summit and two hotel rooms. The winner will also have the opportunity to submit travel expenses within certain guidelines. The winner should inform Code for America if they are not allowed to accept reimbursement.
How are winners determined?
Winners will be selected through ranked-choice voting conducted by our Summit Content Committee, who will review and rate each eligible nominee based on the award criteria for each category.
If I am selected for this award, am I allowed to publicize it before Summit?
Code for America is happy to coordinate press releases and social media posts with our award winners in advance of our event. We typically work with our winners to draft and release these announcements two to three weeks in advance of Summit.
Is there an entry fee?
There is no fee to make a nomination for our Innovator Awards.
Is the winner required to accept their award in person?
We would love you to join us in person at Summit to accept your award, but if for some reason you are unable to travel, we could coordinate other options with you. We will still acknowledge you on our website and on our social channels.