The 113th Congress Gold Mouse Awards mark the seventh time since 2002 CMF has evaluated and recognized the best congressional websites. The purpose of this project is to provide guidance to Members of Congress on using the Internet to enhance communication and promote citizen engagement by identifying best practices that can serve as models.

For this year, Gold, Silver, and Bronze Mouse Awards went to 70 websites (20 Senators, 44 Representatives, and 6 committees). For the first time, CMF also is recognizing social media practices. Gold Mouse Awards were given to 17 Members (7 Senators, 10 Representatives) for their efforts in using these tools to further transparency, accountability, and constituent service.

The 113th Congress Gold Mouse Awards have been made possible by grants from BIPAC, Shoutpoint, Eventbrite, Lockheed Martin Desktop Solutions, Inc., and National Write Your Congressman. We thank them for their support of this project.

For more information on this year's awards, please review the following information:

• 113th Congress Gold Mouse Awards for Best Congressional Websites
• 113th Congress Gold Mouse Awards for Citizen Engagement on Social Media
• Frequently Asked Questions about the 113th Congress Gold Mouse Awards
• "Best Practices in Online Communications on Capitol Hill" (Complete Report - 6 MB)
• Slides from the "Lessons from the 113th Congress Gold Mouse Awards" Training Program (7MB)

We also offer excerpted sections of the best practices report:

•  Executive Summary (169 KB)
•  Introduction (113 KB)
•  113th Congress Gold Mouse Award Winners List (108 KB)
•  Methodology (198 KB)