Municipal Websites

The annual Municipal Website Awards recognize excellence in customer service, functionality, convenience and government transparency delivered by a municipal website.

Awards are presented in five population categories: under 5,000; 5,001-12,000; 12,001-25,000; 25,001-35,000; and 35,000-plus. (Note: The categories were adjusted in July 2023.)

The entry deadline was Thursday, Oct. 31.

Municipal websites are evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Clear branding as the official municipal government site, with local government address and hours prominently listed
• Intuitive navigation tools and organization of material
• Robust search function
• Current and timely information
• Availability of public records
• Mobile-friendly or mobile-responsive design
• Resources for residents such as the ability to apply for licenses and permits, pay bills, order documents, and make suggestions
• Tools to promote economic development (e.g., ability to obtain licenses and permits or view list of developable land and vacant sites)
• Information about departments (e.g., key personnel, contact information, office hours, and department mission or purpose)
• Use of social media and tools for online community engagement
• Visual appeal and overall experience
• Previous winners are not eligible to re-enter the contest unless their website has undergone a significant redesign.

The following are the winners of the MMA Municipal Website Awards. (Note: Due to the COVID pandemic, awards were not presented in 2021.)

2024

Category 1: Plymouth and Pittsfield
Category 2: Norwood
Category 3: Newburyport
Category 4: Brewster
Category 5: Hawley
Judges: Amanda Linehan, Malden City Councillor, & Deb Radway, a municipal human resources professional.

2023

Category 1: Reading
Category 2: Mansfield
Category 3: Weston
Category 4: Avon
Judge: Brianna Sunryd, director of communications and civic innovation for the town of Amherst.

2022

Category 1: Arlington
Category 2: Amesbury
Category 3: Chatham
Category 4: Royalston
Judge: Richard Brown, a retired town administrator in Somerset who has 45 years of experience in local government management.

2020

Category 1: Revere
Category 2: South Hadley
Category 3: Groton
Category 4: Erving
Judges: Charles Blanchard, a former town manager in Palmer, and Donna VanderClock, a former town manager in Weston.

2019

Category 1: The MMA did not receive any nominations this year in the category for cities and towns with populations over 50,000.
Category 2: Concord
Category 3: Littleton
Category 4: Ashfield
Judges: Carl Valente, a former town manager in Lexington, and Richard Reed, a former town manager in Bedford and former member of the MMA Policy Committee on Public Works, Transportation and Public Utilities.

2018

Category 1: Lowell
Category 2: Woburn
Category 3: Hamilton
Category 4: Sherborn
Judges: Colleen Corona, former selectman from Easton and a former member of the MMA Board of Directors and president of the Massachusetts Selectmen’s Association, and Dan Moore, a web developer and multimedia designer in Somerville.

2017

Category 1: Boston
Category 2: Concord
Category 3: Weston
Category 4: Windsor
Judges: Jerrard Whitten, GIS/IT manager for the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission, and Josh Ostroff, partnerships director at Transportation for Massachusetts and a former Natick selectman.

2016

Category 1: Newton
Category 2: Chelmsford
Category 3: Ipswich
Category 4: Monterey
Judges: J. Catherine Rollins, director of policy for the city of Everett, and Halifax Town Administrator Charlie Seelig

2015

Category 1: New Bedford
Category 2: Northampton
Category 3: Whitman
Category 4: Stockbridge
Judges: Former Amesbury Mayor Thatcher W. Kezer III and Amanda Linehan, communications manager at the Metropolitan Area Planning Council

2014

Category 1: Newton
Category 2: Amherst and Holyoke
Category 3: Hanover
Category 4: Stockbridge
Judges: Tim Sullivan, Municipal Liaison, Massachusetts Information Technology Division, and Molly Goren-Watts, Principal Planner/Manager, Pioneer Valley Planning Commission

2013

Category 1: Cambridge
Category 2: Westford
Category 3: Chatham
Category 4: Dunstable
Honorable mention: Amherst (Category 2) and Sterling (Category 3)
Judges: Samuel Tyler, President, Boston Municipal Research Bureau, and Carolyn Ryan, Policy Analyst, Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation