Vienna, 30 January 2024 – The Innovation in Politics Institute is proud to announce the finalists of this year’s prestigious Awards, which are assigned in 7 categories. From 334 submitted political projects from 26 countries, 314 projects were deemed eligible and were presented to our jury of 1086 citizens. 70 finalists, 10 for each category, have been chosen. The winners will be announced at the Awards Gala on 2 May 2024 at the Maritime Museum of Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain.
Since 2017, the Innovation in Politics Awards have been presented annually to honour courageous and creative political work throughout Europe – regardless of party affiliation or country, recognising groundbreaking political initiatives that significantly impact people’s lives and strengthen democracy.
The finalists represent a diverse range of innovative ideas that are making a real difference in their communities. They come from all levels of government, from local to national, and cover a broad range of categories.
The projects judged as exemplary by the international jury are (in alphabetical order per category):
CLIMATE PROTECTION
- Advancing Low-Carbon Mobility in Cascais, Portugal
- Buzzwatch – Safeguarding Our Bees, Belgium
- Creating One of the First Permanent Reuse Centres in Slovakia, Slovakia
- Exchange Energy for a Better World, Austria
- Food Loss & Waste Prevention Unit, Municipality of Halandri, Greece
- Panda Labs Junior for Just Transition, Bulgaria
- Schwammstein (Sponge Stone) – Sustainable Rainwater Management for Urban Green Spaces, Austria
- SeaProtectorOne, Aarhus, Denmark
- Shame On You! – Anti-Smog Social Campaign, Poland
- The Preschool Hoppet: Sweden’s First Fossil-Free Construction Project, Sweden
DEMOCRACY
- Citizens of Ankara: Re-Assemble!, Turkey
- Community Power, United Kingdom
- Let’s Think Up Lublin Together: creating the participatory intelligence Strategy Lublin 2030, Poland
- Mini.Stadt 2025 Strategy, Switzerland
- Next Generation Academy (Academia Próxima Geração), Portugal
- Participatory Children and Youth Million, Austria
- School Participatory Budgets – Development of Student Self-Government in Lublin, Poland
- The Imagine! Belfast Festival of Ideas & Politics: imagining new ideas on politics and culture, United Kingdom
- The Mar Menor (the Menor Sea) has Rights, Spain
- Youth Participatory Budgeting in Rybnik, Poland
DEMOCRACY TECHNOLOGIES
- Change It (Změň To), Czech Republic
- Condominium E-Voting – Successful E-Democracy, Ukraine
- Decide Madrid, Spain
- Democracy Guide – Giving Responsibility a Face, Germany
- Democracy in Action: innovative consultations & citizen participation, Greece
- DIPAS_navigator, Germany
- Hacknime.to – The New Era of Government, Slovakia
- Košice 2.0 – Unleashing the Future of Urban Living, Slovakia
- Open Data Catalogue & Data Portal, Hradec Králové Region, Czech Republic
- Presenting TrollWall: The Digital Shield Against Online Hate, Czech Republic
EDUCATION
- Big Bocs Bwyd, United Kingdom
- La Compañía (The Company), Spain
- Lithuania’s Testbed Programme for EdTech Startups, Lithuania
- Mayority, Austria
- Rein ins Rathaus! (Into the City Hall!), Austria
- spreuXweizen – Fakt oder Fake (Fact or Fake), Germany
- TechUcation@school, Germany
- Vilnius is a School, Lithuania
- Virtual Visits to the Municipal Art Gallery of Chania, Greece
- Zero Waste Education in Rybnik, Poland
GOVERNMENT IMPROVEMENT
- Dec112, Austria
- Drone-Integrated Rescue System, Pilsen, Czech Republic
- e-Justice Portal for Inmates, Estonia
- Easy Government, Spain
- Electronic System Installation to Control Water Leakages, Greece
- Mapping Roads with AI-Cameras in Garbage Trucks, Sweden
- Remote, Digital Perinatal Care for Pregnant Women & New Parents Living on Small Islands, Greece
- RettungsNetz-5G – 5G-based Emergency Services in the Metropolitan Region Rhine-Neckar, Germany
- sKIn: AI-supported skin cancer diagnostics, Germany
- SYMON: an Intelligent Monitoring System for the Elderly, Spain
LOCAL DEVELOPMENT
- Apadrinaunolivo.org, Spain
- B-MINCOME: guaranteed minimum income & active social policies in deprived urban areas, Spain
- Circular Economy of Waste for Land & Environment, Italy
- Healthy villAGE: a participatory & comprehensive model for active ageing in rural areas, Spain
- Lyon Metro: an occupancy warning system pilot, France
- Madrid Innovation Lab, Spain
- Preserving Kyiv’s Culture through Virtual Heritage, Ukraine
- Project HELIX, United Kingdom
- Testing the City – Living and Working in Görlitz, Germany
- The Abandoned Houses Project, Finland
SOCIAL COHESION
- Basic Income for Care Leavers in Wales Pilot, United Kingdom
- Beatriz Galindo Center for Homeless Women Victims of Violence, Spain
- Building Hope: Lenartov’s Journey to Inclusive Living, Slovakia
- Foodcard – dignified state food aid for people in need, Estonia
- Housing Cooperatives in Barcelona, Spain
- Housing First Austria – Arriving Home, Austria
- La Noche es Joven, Spain
- Life Mentorship Programme, Lithuania
- Phosphoros Theatre, United Kingdom
- Understanding – the Key to Political Participation, Austria
“We are thrilled to announce the finalists for this year’s Innovation in Politics Awards,” said Josef Zehetner, Head of Awards and Program Manager. “The participating projects this year were very diverse and very impressive, so it was a difficult task for the jurors to narrow those down to just 70. These selected finalists demonstrate the enduring power of innovation in politics.”
The finalists will attend the conference and gala on 2 May at the Maritime Museum of Barcelona, where the winners in the seven categories will be announced. More than 500 guests from politics, business and culture from all over Europe are expected for this evening.
The Innovation in Politics Awards are presented and organised by the Innovation in Politics Institute and are part of the European Capital of Democracy (ECoD) Programme Year 2023/24. Founded in 2017, they have become a leading platform for innovative politicians and citizens to share and exchange ideas on the development and improvement of democracy.
For more information about the finalists and the Innovation in Politics Awards, please visit innovationinpolitics.eu/awards/
Contact:
Josef Zehetner
jz@innovationinpolitics.eu
Head of Awards and Project Manager
Denica Yotova
dy@innovationinpolitics.eu
Head of Communication