PA Awards 2026 - About
ReSPA – SIGMA Western Balkans and Eastern Neighbourhood Public Administration Awards 2026
Governing for Impact: Creating Transformative Initiatives
The fourth edition of the ReSPA - SIGMA Public Administration Awards is officially open - and this year, it’s bigger, bolder, and more international than ever! For the first time, alongside the Western Balkans, we proudly invite public administration champions and innovators from Ukraine, Moldova, and Armenia to step into the spotlight and apply!
The Public Administration Awards is a unique recognition programme, jointly initiated by ReSPA and SIGMA, designed to strengthen governance and accelerate reform across the Western Balkans - and now, the Eastern Neighbourhood as well.
Are you creating transformative initiatives that improve public administration and deliver tangible benefits to citizens and businesses? If yes, apply today for the fourth Public Administration Awards competition!
We are especially keen to recognise initiatives that demonstrate clear transformative impact, with strong emphasis on:
- Measurable results and concrete achievements
- Enhanced quality, accessibility, and efficiency of public services
- Meaningful contributions to transparency, participation, inclusion, and integrity
- Innovation, particularly digital and technology-driven solutions
Initiatives from all areas of public governance at all levels of government are welcome!
Be Recognised. Be Shared. Be an Inspiration!
Awards Objectives and Purpose
Are you turning public administration into a force for real impact?
The 2026 Western Balkans and Eastern Neighbourhood Public Administration Awards celebrate initiatives that don’t just innovate - but deliver measurable results for citizens, businesses, and communities.
We are looking for bold, smart, and user-focused initiatives that make a difference through: digital transformation and technological innovation; administrative simplification and smarter procedures; inclusiveness and user-centred design; community engagement and local impact; and data-driven and evidence-based decision-making.
Whether you have improved digital public service delivery, reduced red tape for businesses, designed inclusive services for vulnerable groups, empowered citizens through community-driven governance, modernised internal systems with clear external benefits, or implemented any initiative that demonstrates direct or indirect positive impact on users, this is your moment to shine!
Apply and showcase how your initiative is transforming public service delivery - making it more efficient, inclusive, and impactful for those who matter most.
Awards Category
You are welcome to submit any initiative that demonstrates one or more of the following key characteristics:
- developed with users[1] i.e. demonstrates acknowledgement of all aspects of user needs and preferences or citizen-centred, developed around the needs and life events of citizens, including the use of immersive design (e.g., mobile government, human-centred design);
- developed in a way that includes human-centricity, i.e. expressing empathy and understanding for users’ needs, including supportive features that provide help and guidance when needed;
- leverage technological innovation and emerging solutions ̶ such as AI, machine learning and automation (e.g., chatbots and virtual assistants, back- office automation of repetitive tasks, scenario modelling and simulations in planning with human oversight features), including cloud & infrastructure, data & analytics (e.g., big data, advanced analytics, real-time analytics, BI, open data platforms), cybersecurity and privacy (e.g., privacy-enhancing technologies, zero trust architecture) or other applicable technologies ̶ that contribute to a more effective and user- centered public service delivery;
- developed in relation to the digital identity and trust, with secure access to services and paperless administration;
- involves citizens in decision-making processes, fosters participatory democracy, and empowers local communities to address their own needs (e.g. participatory budgeting);
- contribute to building transparency, integrity and accountability and cultivate trust and confidence among users;
- allow informed choices through accessibility, improved exchange of information and facilitate effective communication between stakeholders;
- contribute to effective and timely service delivery with minimal processing time, predictability and visible decision-making, thus reducing administrative burden, enhancing accessibility, reducing costs, and improving reliability and consistency;
- ensure interoperability of systems and services, minimising the need for users to provide the same information across different platforms or duplicate requests (e.g. once-only principle, connected public registries, integrated service portals, cross-agency case management);
- developed in a secure and privacy-aware manner with data protection considerations and cybersecurity safeguards;
- streamline and improve internal processes and workflows within the organisation, or cross-agency exchange, enabling the organisations to elevate the quality of services provided to citizens and businesses;
- are inclusive in terms of being designed for everyone and with considerations for vulnerable and underrepresented groups;
- are quality-of-life oriented, responsive to the immediate needs of the user group, recognising social well-being, contributing to cultural and social cohesion and sustainability;
- promote collaboration, allow governments to tap into the collective wisdom and expertise of the community, and enable collaborative platforms/projects, thereby fostering a sense of ownership and shared responsibility (i.e., projects developed by multiple stakeholders in a collaborative effort).
[1] The term "Users" refers to citizens, businesses, public servants working with citizens and businesses, other public administrations or entities (e.g. CSOs or academia) who interact with the specific system, project or service in question.
Rules & Eligibility Conditions 
CONTEST RULES DOWNLOAD
GENERAL CONTEST RULES and ELIGIBILITY
- The ReSPA-SIGMA Western Balkans and Eastern Neighbourhood Public Administration Awards invite applicants to submit impactful and result-oriented initiatives contributing to the improvement of governance and public service delivery.
- Applications should concern initiatives that have been implemented long enough to demonstrate progress and results. Concepts, proposals or initiatives that have not yet entered implementation are not eligible.
- Each applicant may submit multiple applications, provided that each submission is distinct and made separately.
- The application must be complete with all required fields filled in. The organisers of the competition reserve the right to request additional information relevant to the assessment of the initiative’s quality at a later stage.
- Registration, including the submission of the application, must be completed online via the designated platform. Applications submitted by any other means will not be considered.
- In addition to the application form, providing supplementary documentation on project implementation, outputs, outcomes and delivery, as well as other materials the applicant deems relevant in support of their application (incl. charts/tables/diagrams, video, audio, photos, links to websites and social media) is strongly recommended.
- Submissions that violate international copyright rules will be excluded from the competition.
- The competition organizers cannot be held liable for accepted submissions and their contents and rights.
- Projects previously submitted for the Western Balkans Public Administration Awards previous editions may be resubmitted, provided that they have undergone noteworthy updates, adaptations and further development or have achieved significant impact and results which must be clearly demonstrated during the application, assessment and selection process.
- By submitting an application, the applicant acknowledges and agrees to abide by the general contest rules of the ReSPA-SIGMA Public Administration Awards in the Western Balkans and Eastern Neighbourhood 2026.
WHO CAN APPLY?
- The ReSPA-SIGMA Public Administration Awards in the Western Balkans and Eastern Neighbourhood 2026 is open to all public sector institutions[2] from all administrative levels, i.e. national, sub-national and local, in ReSPA Members (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia), Armenia, Kosovo*, Moldova and Ukraine.
- Applications can be submitted jointly, i.e., by two or more applicants, including cross-regional and with private entities, non-profit organisations and academic institutions, in which case a public administration entity must be designated as the lead applicant. The award will only be given to the public administration organisation in such cases.
- Consulting firms or other organisations offering consulting services are not eligible to apply.
- Individuals who work in public administration and other natural persons are not eligible to apply either individually or as part of a joint application.
[2] This refers to all public administration entities regardless of their organizational structure and their position and role in the organization of public administration, at both national and any sub-national and/ or local level
*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and ICJ opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.
TIME TABLE
BENEFITS AND IMPACTS OF PARTICIPATION IN THE PA AWARDS 2026
- A unique and exclusive package of awards is available for contestants, including trophies, certificates and special recognition for outstanding efforts, as well as peer learning activities and tailored learning journeys for winners to observe best practices in the regions and in the EU.
- The awards provide external visibility and international acknowledgement for public administrations, further leading to internal recognition and development possibilities, including the scaling up of their initiatives to other administrative and geographical areas.
- Contestants will receive valuable feedback for project improvement thanks to the Awards’ multi-step assessment process.
- Submitted initiatives will be used in ReSPA´s and SIGMA learning exchange and practice transfer activities in the region and internationally.
- Winners will join a Community of Inspirational Practices, which represents a ‘hub of excellence’ with networking opportunities in the region and beyond.
- The process of writing the application itself is a highly beneficial opportunity for learning and networking.
- Participation in the competition offers candidates the opportunity to inspire each other with shared ideas, knowledge and exchange of best practices.
EXPLOITATION RIGHTS AND COPYRIGHTS
- By submitting a project to the ReSPA-SIGMA PA Awards, the applicant provides the award organisers with the exploitation rights to any submitted videos, pictures and other content for non-commercial promotion of the nominated product, presented in print, broadcast and any other forms of media, as well as for events.
- The applicant must own the copyright of all pictures, sounds, contents and other materials related to their application. All software used must be licensed.
CONTEST LANGUAGE
The contest will be carried out in English, and the application form must be completed in English. Supporting materials (including press releases and news reporting, data analytics, visualisations, statistics and citizen feedback) may be submitted either in their original language or in English. All stages of evaluation and assessment will be conducted in English.
EXCLUSION AND DISQUALIFICATION OF SUBMISSIONS FROM THE AWARD
- Incomplete submissions and submissions that do not comply with the general contest rules and conditions will be withdrawn from the selection process. Applicants will be informed in a timely manner if their application is withdrawn from the selection process. There is no legal recourse against disqualification for any of the reasons outlined below.
- Conditions leading to the immediate disqualification from the contest:
- conflict of interest and non-adherence to the process by those concerned;
- presentation of misleading and false information in supporting documents;
- inability to provide sufficient documentation to review the initiative;
- unethical behaviour, including undue pressure on any person involved in the evaluation and selection process;
- lack of ownership of the creative rights or infringement of others’ copyright;
- false registration information or non-compliance with the rules of the contest.
THE SELECTION OF WINNERS & THE JURY PROCESS
The winners will be selected from a pool of applications received during the call for applications through the selection process described on the ReSPA website. For more information, see below.
Contact us
The Public Administration Awards team is happy to talk to you about any questions, feedback or propositions.
If you have any questions related to the rules of the contest, eligibility and other requirements or have any difficulties with the online registration and application tool please contact: pa-awards@respaweb.eu
