Both Gloucester and Mathews County’s government websites once again shone brightly in the 2013 Sunny Awards given to state and local governments to recognize efforts in transparency and open government.

This is the fourth year in a row Gloucester County has received national recognition and the third straight year Mathews County has received the award.

The Sunshine Review, a national nonprofit organization that focuses on government transparency, graded websites of states, cities, counties, and school districts using a 10-point transparency checklist.

"The Sunny Awards recognize governments that make transparency a priority," said Michael Barnhart, president of Sunshine Review. "The winners of the Sunny Awards are organizations that proactively share public information that empowers citizens and keeps government accountable to the people."

To determine eligibility for receiving a Sunny Award, the websites were analyzed by Sunshine Review editors on information such a...