Sponsored by the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, and the Council for Excellence in Government of Washington, D.C., the 2005 Innovation in American Government Awards competition drew more than 1,000 applicants from around the nation. EEP’s selection resulted from an application process that culminated in a 5,400 word series of essays on the program’s origin, its innovative qualities and the accomplishments and challenges realized by the new program.

The designation propelled EEP into the semifinals of the competition, from which 18 finalists were chosen to compete for $100,000 grants to help replicate their initiatives in other states (EEP was not selected as a finalist). Competing programs are judged on the basis of creativity, effectiveness in achieving tangible results, significance in addressing important problems of public concern, and promise in inspiring successful replication in other states.

“North Carolina’s bold approach to challenges that affect every state has brought about this prestigious designation,” said NCDENR Secretary Bill Ross of the Innovations honor. “EEP helps us to move forward on building roads and other critical economic development at the same time that we’re restoring, enhancing and protecting our state’s natural resources. Our quality of life depended on our ability to deal with this challenge proactively, so we designed and carried out an innovative approach that has reversed the trends that were hampering our progress as a state.”