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A logo design for the state's Access Indiana Web site has been announced by the Office of the Governor.
There's another contest, too. It's for Indiana fourth-graders to design a screen saver based on the theme, "What's So Great About Indiana?"
"Access Indiana has been one of our state government's most innovative and popular services. Millions of people tap into the network," Gov. Frank O'Bannon said. "We hope to keep expanding and improving the delivery of state services by making more use of the Internet."
By clicking onto Access Indiana, Hoosiers may, for instance, renew license plates, file state taxes, research legislation, look up Supreme Court rulings or obtain information from nearly every state agency. More than 100,000 pages of information are posted on the network.
More than four million people tap into the network each month. The most popular sites include the Hoosier Lottery, the Attorney General's unclaimed property database and the state job bank.
"This contest to update Access Indiana's 'front door' should be fun, and will help make the network even more attractive to anyone seeking access to Indiana's public records and government services," O'Bannon said.
Professional and amateur artists are invited to enter the logo contest. Entrants must be Indiana residents 18 years old and older.
The "What's So Great About Indiana?" screen saver contest is open to students in the fourth grade, where the curriculum includes Indiana history.
Entries for both contests will be accepted through April 14. The wining logo and screen saver designs will be announced in June.
The winning logo will be Access Indiana's new signature, especially on its home page, which is being redesigned. Entries will be judged on originality, creativity and positive reflection on Indiana.
The logo must contain the words "Access Indiana" and should contain no more than two colors. Complex designs are not recommended.
A judging committee will narrow the entries down to five finalists. Then the public will have a chance to vote for the top choice.
Entries may be submitted electronically or through the mail. Entrants must provide their name, age, address, daytime phone number and a brief statement (50 words or fewer) discussing their logo design and why it should adorn the state's Internet gateway.
Similarly, a judging committee will pick five fourth-graders' work in the screen saver competition. Here, all five selections will rotate through a screen saver program which may be downloaded from Access Indiana. A screen saver activates when a computer is on and hasn't been used for a determined length of time.
Hoosiers interested in entering either contest should visit www.state.in.us/contest to read all the contest rules. Participants are also encouraged to visit the state gateway at www.state.in.us to find out what Access Indiana has to offer.
Inquiries regarding the contest may be made by telephoning Access Indiana toll-free at 888-4IN-eGOV (888-446-3468) or e-mailing to contest@ai.org The postal address is: Contest Coordinator, Access Indiana, 150 West Market St., Suite 530, Indianapolis, IN 46204.
