Future of Government Awards 2023
The Future of Government Awards champions practitioners, teams and leaders who are transforming people’s lives by applying digital solutions and leveraging technology to reform the public sector for those it serves.
Winners
Digital Advocates of the year
Winner
Digital Identity Directorate Team
Ministry of Management and Innovation in Public Services of the Federal Government of Brazil - Brasília, Brazil
Highly commended
Envision
ICT Division, Aspire to Innovate (a2i) - Dhaka, Bangladesh
Highly commended
Tekwill in Every School Programme
Tekwill - Chisinau, Republic of Moldova
Open source creation
Winner
Bahmni
Thoughtworks - Bangalore, India
Highly commended
OpenSPP Social Protection Platform
Newlogic - Cebu City, Philippines
Highly commended
Hyperledger Aries Cloud Agent Python (ACA-Py)
Government of British Columbia - Victoria, BC, Canada
Open source adaptation
Winner
PhilSys
Philippines Statistics Authority - Quezon City, Philippines
Highly commended
Smart Data Ukimet
National Information Technologies JSC (NITEC) - Astana, Kazakhstan
Highly commended
Trembita
Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation - Kyiv, Ukraine
Leadership award
Winner
Mr. Abhishek Singh
Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, Government of India - New Delhi, India
Highly commended
Tamara Duisenova
Deputy Prime Minister, Kazakhstan
Highly commended
Jamila Akaaga Ade
Federal Ministry of Justice - Abuja, Nigeria
Lifetime achievement award
Winner
Jennifer Pahlka
USA
Shortlist
Digital advocates of the year
Public sector entrepreneurs work tirelessly to improve the lives of people. These changemakers work behind-the-scenes, in challenging environments and are not recognised often enough. Lifting these public servants up and highlighting their important work inspires others with an entrepreneurial spirit to join their own governments to make people’s lives better.
This award recognises a small team that has achieved the greatest impact by championing digital transformation.
Envision
ICT Division, Aspire to Innovate (a2i) - Dhaka, Bangladesh
Digital Government Team
Department of Information Communication and Technology - Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
Service NSW Team
Government of New South Wales - Sydney, Australia
Camden Digital & Data Service
London Borough of Camden - London, UK
Digital Identity Directorate Team
Ministry of Management and Innovation in Public Services of the Federal Government of Brazil - Brasília, Brazil
Centre for Digital Governance - National Urban Digital Mission (CDG-NUDM)
National Institute of Urban Affairs under Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) - New Delhi, India
The SOUGOV.BR team
Ministry of Management and Innovation in Public Services - Brasília, Brazil
Tekwill in Every School Programme
Tekwill - Chisinau, Republic of Moldova
Government Technology (GovTech) Agency
Royal Government of Bhutan - Thimphu Thromde, Bhutan
Digital Governance Unit (DGU)
Malagasy public administration - Antananarivo, Madagascar
Open source creation
Sourcing off-the-shelf is a valid and important part of digital transformation. But this award celebrates the path less-travelled: the innovators, developers, and leaders that are building their own solutions in government – and making them available for others to re-use. Showcasing these contributions from governments and their partners will give them the recognition they deserve for working in the open and sharing their efforts, while raising the profile of their solutions and encouraging reuse.
This award recognises an open source solution that has been created and has demonstrable potential for reuse by another government in another setting.
Splink
Ministry of Justice - London, UK
KoBoToolbox
Kobo - Massachusetts, USA
Urban Platform for deliverY of Online Governance (UPYOG)
Centre for Digital Governance, National Institute of Urban Affairs under Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) - New Delhi, India
NISE3 (National Intelligence for Skills, Education, Employment and Entrepreneurship)
Aspire to Innovate (a2i) - Dhaka, Bangladesh
Hyperledger Aries Cloud Agent Python (ACA-Py)
Government of British Columbia - Victoria, BC, Canada
OpenSPP Social Protection Platform
Newlogic - Cebu City, Philippines
ekShop
Aspire to Innovate (a2i) - Dhaka, Bangladesh
LocalGov Drupal (LGD)
Open Digital Cooperative - Oxford, London, Eastbourne and Dublin, UK & NI
Bahmni
Thoughtworks - Bangalore, India
Visor Urbano
Government Innovation of Jalisco and the Bloomberg Philanthropies Foundation - Guadalajara, Mexico
Open source adaptation
Many governments are on a digital journey, but not all are looking to - or learning from - others in the global public sector community. Instead, some may be duplicating successes, or failures, from elsewhere. This award recognises the significant range of proven open-source solutions available to governments, and will highlight the leadership - and success - of a government that is building on best-practice. It will demonstrate the importance of re-use, adaptation, and learning from others.
This award recognises the organisation that has most effectively adapted an open source solution, by applying it in a different context or setting.
Decidimos Monterrey
Secretaría de Innovación y Gobierno Abierto - Monterrey, Mexico
COVID@Home
Ministry of Health and Turpanjian College of Health Sciences - Yerevan, Armenia
PhilSys
Philippines Statistics Authority - Quezon City, Philippines
DHIS2 for Education
HISP Uganda and the University of Oslo - Kampala, Uganda
Trembita
Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation - Kyiv, Ukraine
Adapt Authoring Tool – Adapt Learning
College@ESDC, Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) - Gatineau, Canada
Smart Data Ukimet
National Information Technologies JSC (NITEC) - Astana, Kazakhstan
Sunbird SERVE
eVean Foundation - Bangalore, Delhi, Dharwad and Mangalore, India
Odoo
Newlogic - Cebu City, Philippines
Data in Climate Resilient Agriculture (DiCRA)
National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) - Mumbai, India
Leadership award
Digital transformation is a journey, and not a sprint. It needs leaders who are brave enough to see the longer-term, and empower their teams and organisations to create significant positive change. Teams can only achieve success and make a meaningful difference for people if they have the space to explore and learn; fail then iterate, and focus on what matters most. The most capable leaders are those that unblock challenges and remove distraction so that their teams can focus on delivering real and important value to people.
This award recognises a leader who has enabled their team, or organisation, to make a real difference to people’s lives.
Jamila Akaaga Ade
Federal Ministry of Justice - Abuja, Nigeria
Mr. Abhishek Singh
Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, Government of India - New Delhi, India
H.M. Asad-Uz-Zaman
Aspire to Innovate (a2i), Government of Bangladesh - Dhaka, Bangladesh
Natasha Clarke
Nova Scotia Department of Cyber Security and Digital Solutions - Halifax, Canada
Alejandra Torres
Secretariat of Planning, Modernization and International Relations of the Municipality of Córdoba - Córdoba, Argentina
Mr. Kunal Kumar
Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) - New Delhi, India
Juan Miguel Ardissone
Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies (MITIC) - Asunción, Paraguay
Thiago José Tavares Ávila
Alagoas State Government - Secretariat of Government, Planning, Management and Heritage of the State of Alagoas (SEPLAG) - Maceió, Brazil
Tamara Duisenova
Deputy Prime Minister, Kazakhstan
Felipe Rigoni Lopes
Secretariat of Environment and Water Resources - Vitoria, Brazil
Lifetime achievement award
There are many digital heroes in the public sector but this award recognises the sustained and impactful contribution from a particularly outstanding individual. The winner will be someone who has improved the lives of many people, likely over a number of years – someone with a legacy of real and evidenced positive change through digital transformation.
The winner of this category will be chosen by the Selection Committee. The lifetime achievement award is not open for nominations.
Key dates
Nominations open
Nominations close
Shortlists announced
Awards ceremony
Selection Committee
Tamara Srzentic
Former Minister of Public Administration, Digital Society and Media, Government of Montenegro
Anir Chowdhury
Policy Advisor, Aspire to Innovate (a2i) Programme, ICT Division/Cabinet Division/UNDP Bangladesh
Denyse White
Deputy National Chief Digital Officer, Ministry of Digital Transformation, Trinidad and Tobago
Dr Carlos Santiso
Head of Division, Public Governance Directorate, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
Past winners
Digital innovatorof the year
Mykhailo Fedorov
In Ukraine, the Ministry of Digital Transformation was established in 2019 and Mykhailo Fedorov was appointed minister to lead the digital transformation of the country. He is also the youngest minister in the political history of Ukraine. His immediate priority was to create the "State in the smartphone" - so people could communicate directly with the state via their smartphones.
Open source creationof the year
IO, the app for Italian public services
Italy's bureaucracy often requires people to navigate through dozens of platforms in order to access public services or manage their obligations to the State. The app IO was launched in early 2020 by PagoPA to overturn this paradigm by putting simple and user-centred public services into the citizens' pockets.
Open source adaptationof the year
Cambodia Data Exchange (CamDX)
CamDX stands for Cambodia Data Exchange, which adopts the model of X-Road of Estonia. CamDX is a unified yet decentralised data exchange layer between information systems that offers a standardised and secure way to provide and consume services. CamDX ensures confidentiality, integrity, and interoperability between a multitude of different data exchange parties. The main goal of CamDX is to build an infrastructure that allows for establishing effortless access to data in government databases (public services) without compromising the security and ownership of the data and with minimal technical changes in the existing information systems.
The importance of shaping - and celebrating - digital government
Local and national governments are on the frontlines of sustainable development. They provide essential public services, support the lives and livelihoods of their citizens and residents, and set the parameters for inclusive, vibrant, and dynamic economies, ecosystems, and societies. Digital channels, tools and technologies can strengthen and amplify each of these roles – creating digital governments, who can be even better positioned to deliver these benefits.
Sponsors
UNDP is the leading United Nations organization fighting to end the injustice of poverty, inequality, and climate change. Working with our broad network of experts and partners in 170 countries, we want to create a world in which digital is an empowering force for people and planet - and ensure that digital leaves no one behind. The Future of Government Awards are an important platform to showcase and celebrate digital excellence. They can provide countries around the world with the inspiration, knowledge, and tools to accelerate their digital development - and to reimagine development in a digital age.
Public Digital is a digital transformation consultancy which was founded by the leaders who created the UK’s Government Digital Service – the organisation that transformed how public services were delivered to citizens. Now, we help large organisations doing meaningful work transform how they operate in the internet era so their services are more responsive to user needs, easier to use and more equitable to access. So far, we’ve worked with governments from 35 countries across 5 continents.
The Future of Government Awards is an opportunity to look sideways to celebrate peers and to build and strengthen public sector communities that can lean on – and learn from – each other.The AWS Institute helps digital transformation leaders in governments and other public organizations around the world reshape and modernize public services through the cloud. The AWS Institute produces thought leadership content, offers a global executive education program, and maintains a global, invitational network of public sector leaders. With the Future of Government Awards, we hope to help highlight the extraordinary efforts of those who are shaping and accelerating government modernisation around the world.
