The EU Public Services Open Source Achievement Awards
The European Commission’s Open Source Observatory (OSOR) has organised the EU Public Services Open Source Achievement Awards to honour and showcase the best open source solutions and initiatives created by or for the public administrations in Europe.
The submissions for the Awards are closed as of 21 September 2023, 23:59 CEST. We received 101 entries from 23 countries! They were all tested against the eligibility criteria described in the contest rules. As a result, 92 entries from 20 countries were deemed eligible (66 solutions and 26 initiatives). You can check all the eligible entries here.
The Evaluation Team consisting of 2 OSOR Team members and 3 experts from the European Commission evaluated all the entries to shortlist best ones for the next contest phase. As the entries vary enormously when it comes to their character, scale, type, and size of submitting organisations, shortlisting them was a very challenging task. 22 projects progressed to the the Jury evaluation and community vote. Now the Jury has selected 6 finalists and the OSOR community has casted its vote.
Finalists
Meet the six jury-chosen finalists, which are invited to present their project at the OSOR conference on 21 November in Brussels. The winners will be announced at the Awards Ceremony at the end of the conference.
As the title of the Awards indicates, the Jury focused on achievements of open source solutions and initiatives: the ambitious goals, determination in overcoming challenges, contribution towards furthering democracy, transparency and active participation of citizens in creating digital infrastructures serving constituents, the impact on their communities, and effective usage of public resources and exceptional response to solving problems.
The meeting of the Jury took place on 6 October. You can read more about its members and the criteria here. The Jury nominated top 6 projects: Decidim, Demarches-simplifiees.fr, Geotrek, gvSIG Suite, OS2 - Public Collaboration & Open Source and publiccode.yml Standard. Their representatives will join a panel of the OSOR Turns 15 conference in Brussels to present their solutions and initiatives and the winner will be announced at the Awards session during the event.
Meet the OSOR Community Award winner
OSOR Community Award voting has concluded, and we're delighted to announce that the winner is BlueHats, the French public sector open source community initiative! BlueHats will be presenting their project at the "OSOR Turns 15: From Pioneering to Mainstreaming Open Technologies in Public Services" conference in Brussels on 21 November. They will take the stage alongside the six finalists of the EU Public Services Open Source Achievement Awards, as chosen by the jury.
We thank the community for casting their votes and congratulate the winner!
Award categoriesThe best solutions and initiatives were selected for two Awards: 1) EU Public Services Open Source Achievement Award, chosen by a Jury according to the dedicated selection criteria. 2) OSOR Community Award, voted on via the Joinup platform by OSOR users and anyone who will log in to the platform. | 
Who could participate?The Awards were for organisations and teams who:
The submitters may represent public administrations; public service institutions such as schools, universities, and hospitals; third sector organisations crucial for the functioning of public services and working directly with administrations. Businesses developing the solutions could apply only together with a public entity they have worked with. | 
Benefits of participationThe Awards are European Commission’s recognition of the most impactful solutions and initiatives. Awarded teams got publicity as the representatives of the top entries were invited to Brussels to present their achievements at the OSOR Conference on 21 November 2023. This will increase their potential for further development, scalability, networking, and collaboration opportunities. The winners will be promoted on the OSOR website, in newsletters, and at events. While the Awards are non-monetary, they aim to support the uptake of the best European Open Source solutions and initiatives. |
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Selection phases
26 JulyCall for submissions opens |
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21 SeptemberSubmissions close |
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29 SeptemberOSOR community voting launch |
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30 OctoberOSOR community voting closes |
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21 NovemberAward Ceremony at the 15 years of OSOR event |
More detailed description of the selection process can be found in the procedure guide.
Award ceremony
The representatives of the top 6 entries and the winner of the OSOR Community Award have been invited to Brussels for the event celebrating 15 years of our Observatory - OSOR Turns 15: From Pioneering to Mainstreaming Open Technologies in Public Services on 21 November 2023. The conference organisers supports them in arranging travel and accommodation and will cover the costs for 1 person per nominated project.
The representatives of these top entries are invited to present their solutions or initiatives during this large event convening participants from the EU Member States public administrations and private sector, European Institutions, NGOs, and various open source communities and associations. The Award ceremony will follow this dedicated session.
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