EPSA 2025-26: Winning Projects and Good Practices Announced

The winning projects for the European Public Sector Award (EPSA) 2025-26 have been selected this week. Following the online evaluation of applications and interviews with shortlisted projects, evaluators convened to select the three winning projects in each award category. In addition, several projects were recognised with Good Practice Certificates (GPCs) for their outstanding contributions to public sector innovation.

The selected winning projects, listed in alphabetical order within each category, will now advance to the Jury Meeting. The final ranking (1st, 2nd and 3rd place) will be announced during the EPSA 2025-26 Award Ceremony in Maastricht in September.

Winning Projects

Innovating Government, Governance and Policies

• Voucher based adult education scheme in Croatia — Ministry of Labour, Pension System, Family and Social Policy, Croatia
• Participatory Budget Platform / Development and implementation of a shared platform for participatory budget management — Ministry of Smart Administration and Regional Development of the Republic of Latvia
• CH@World 2.0 — Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA, Switzerland

Investing in Infrastructure, Mobility and Energy

• Baltic Energy Independence project – Baltic power systems Synchronisation with Continental Europe and Desynchronisation from the power system of Russia and Belarus — Ministry of Climate and Energy of the Republic of Latvia
• Supporting Municipalities in Realising Temporary Housing for recognised refugees — De Thuisgevers (Municipality of Kampen), the Netherlands
• Copernicus Data Stores (CDS & ADS): Modernising Europe’s Open Climate and Atmosphere Data Platforms — European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecast

Delivering User-Centric Services at Subnational Level

• BärGPT — The Governing Mayor of Berlin – Senate Chancellery, Germany
• Suma CivicData Engine: A Subnational CivicData Engine for Fair Tariffs and User-Centred Public Services — Suma, Tax Management, Alicante Provincial Council, Spain
• The Galician Strategy for Public Procurement of Innovative Solutions in Health of the Galician Health Service (SERGAS) — Galician Health Service, Spain

Good Practice Certificates

In addition to the shortlisted winners, evaluators awarded Good Practice Certificates to projects demonstrating high-quality and impactful approaches to public administration challenges.

Innovating Government, Governance and Policies

Projects recognised include initiatives focusing on digital transformation, evidence-based policymaking, public sector innovation, mental wellbeing in administration and citizen-centred digital services from Austria, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Ukraine, Finland, Luxembourg, Serbia and Hungary.

Investing in Infrastructure, Mobility and Energy

Recognised projects addressed sustainable infrastructure, post-earthquake reconstruction, cycling infrastructure, climate action, public health investments and environmental innovation from Austria, Croatia, Spain and Poland.

Delivering User-Centric Services at Subnational Level

Projects receiving certificates showcased innovative approaches to digital government, AI-supported participation, elderly care, inclusive education, mobile public services and EU fund management from Austria, Denmark, Greece, Spain, Georgia, Italy and Portugal.

Looking Ahead to the EPSA 2025-26 Award Ceremony

The final winners and rankings will be announced during the EPSA 2025-26 Award Ceremony in Maastricht later this year. The ceremony will celebrate outstanding achievements in European public administration and provide a platform for exchange among public sector leaders, practitioners and innovators from across Europe.

Find out more

EPSA 2025-26 is financed by the European Commission, Austria, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and supported by the Province of Limburg and the City of Maastricht.