The Missouri Municipal League
2014 INNOVATION AWARDS
About: The Innovation Awards program showcases municipal projects that will benefit other
municipalities. All nominations are cataloged in the Innovation Awards database. This database
provides project summaries and contact information for city officials interested in similar
programs.
Recognition of winners: Award winners are presented with an engraved glass obelisk at the
Missouri Municipal League’s Annual Conference. Selected programs will also be featured in
the Missouri Municipal Review magazine.
Eligibility: To enter, a municipality must be a member of the Missouri Municipal League. Only
one program per city will be considered. Joint or multi city projects are welcome (population
category will be based on the largest city in the project). Nominated programs must be
completed projects.
Categories: The awards will be given in three different population categories: large (more than
15,000), medium (2,000 to 15,000), and small (under 2,000).
Nomination Process: The application is made up of three parts: a cover sheet, a project
summary, and a project description. Applications are due by July 11, 2014. A panel of judges
will evaluate each nomination; points are assigned based on the evaluation criteria (see the
evaluation criteria worksheet included in this packet).
Nomination Directions: The application packet must include the following:

Nomination Application cover sheet (use form) completed in full, and
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Project Summary of 200 words, or less, on a separate page (single-spaced, single-sided, 12point font), and
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Project Description of no more than three additional pages (single-spaced, single-sided, 12point font).
Refer to the format instruction sheet and the evaluation criteria for more guidance on what to
include in the project summary and description. The application must be submitted
electronically, in either Word or PDF format. The whole application (including the cover sheet,
summary and project description) should be in one file named “cityname.2014Innovation”. The
application may be e-mailed to info@mocities.com or mailed on a CD or other medium. If
using a storage device please include the name of the city on the medium.
Rules: NO additional materials such as videos, pictures, news clippings, etc, will be considered.
However, pictures may be imbedded in the Project Description pages. Applications postmarked
or received electronically after July 11, 2014 will not be considered. Changes to nomination
materials submitted after July 11, 2014 will not be accepted.
Missouri Municipal League
INNOVATION AWARD
Nomination Cover Sheet
City:
Project/Program Title (no more than five words):
Date Program Began:
Date Program Completed:
Category of Municipality (Circle One)
Large (more than 15,000)
Medium (2,000 to 15,000)
Small (under 2,000)
Nomination Submitted By (must be a municipal official):
Position:
E-Mail:
Telephone:
Project Contact:
Title:
E-Mail:
Press Contacts (please provide contact information for any newspapers or other media to
contact if city is selected):
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: * Postmarked No Later Than July 11, 2014 *
Please mail to:
2014 MML Innovation Award
Missouri Municipal League
1727 Southridge Dr.
Jefferson City, Missouri 65109
Or e-mail: info@mocities.com
FORMAT INSTRUCTIONS
PROJECT SUMMARY
In 200 words or less, please provide a clear and concise overview of the project. The summary
must answer the following:

Describe the project.

What were the project's objectives?

Were the project’s objectives achieved?

Who was involved in the project?
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
In three pages or less (single-spaced, single-sided, 12-point font), please provide a detailed
description of the project. The project description should address the following questions as
applicable:
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Why was the project needed?
How was the public involved in the project?
What collaborative efforts were parts of the project?
What were the results of the project?
How was the project financed?
How were successes measured?
What obstacles were overcome?
What are the future plans for the project?
Can this project be replicated in other cities?
What makes the project innovative?
(Nominators should carefully consider the evaluation criteria when writing both the Project
Summary and the Project Description. The evaluation criteria are included as a separate
worksheet in the nomination packet.)
EVALUATION CRITERIA
Each nomination will be reviewed by a panel of judges (selected by the League Board of
Directors). The project summary is worth 10 points and the project description makes up the
remaining 90 points. Points will be awarded to each section based on the following criteria.
Project Summary
Does the Project Summary clearly address the following topics? [10 points]
What was the project’s objective? Who was involved in the project? What applicability does
the project have for other cities?
Project Description
Does the Project Description clearly address the topics? [10 points]
What were the project objective(s)? Who was involved in the project? How was the project
funded? How were the objective(s) met? How were the result(s) measured?
Can this project be replicated in other cities? [20 points]
a) Is this a program that other cities could benefit from initiating? What helpful advice is
offered?
Was this project innovative? [20 points]
a) The degree of uniqueness in approach.
b) The degree to which the innovativeness of the approach was the key to meeting the
objectives of the program.
How successful was this program in meeting its objective(s)? [40 points]
a) The success of the local government in implementing the program.
b) The extent of the measurable benefit for the general community and local
government.
c) How adequately does the program address the future? Was this program just a “band
aid fix” or does it provide a solution for the long term?
d) How difficult was it to overcome the obstacles involved in the project?