OSOR Awards 2023

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 have received 101 entries from 23 countries! They have all been 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 now 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 20 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. So it was decided that 22 projects should progress to the next phase of the contest:

Jury evaluation to nominate 6 best projects for the EU Public Services Open Source Achievement Awards
Public vote to choose the winner of the OSOR Community Award

As the title of the Awards indicates, the Jury will focus 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.

Anyone can vote for the best projects after logging in to Joinup via EU Login. The public vote is open - you can now cast your vote for your favourite solution or initiative to choose the winner of the OSOR Community Award!

Award categories

The best solutions and initiatives will be 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 can participate?

The Awards are for organisations and teams who:

have successfully implemented an Open Source solution(s) within public administrations
developed initiatives using and advancing the use of Open Source within public services.

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 can apply only together with a public entity they have worked with.

Why should you participate?

The Awards are European Commission’s recognition of the most impactful solutions and initiatives. Awarded teams will get publicity as the representatives of the top entries will be 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.

Eligibility criteria

A solution or initiative is eligible for the OSOR Awards 2023 if it fulfils the following criteria:

Must be developed for or implemented by a public organisation from an EU Member State, EFTA country associated with the Digital Europe Programme, or an EU candidate country whose Association Agreement with the Digital Europe Programme has entered into force.
Must have a representative (an organisation/a natural person) to submit the application.
The solution or software released, used, and implemented by the initiative must be licensed under an open source software licence.

Open source software (OSS) is a type of software whose source code is released under a royalty-free licence in which the copyright holder grants users the rights to run, study, modify, enhance, and distribute the software to anyone and for any purpose. An OSS solution is OSS software used as a building block for providing a public service.
Must be submitted in English via the official submission form on EU Survey. Please note that the description of each eligible solution will be published on Joinup by the OSOR team.

Selection criteria

The eligible solutions and initiatives will be assessed against the following criteria:

Motivation, impact, and goals: Recognising the driving force behind the development of a solution or initiative, the positive effects it has on communities and its stakeholders, and the clear objectives it aims to achieve.
Governance: Acknowledging strong leadership, transparency, and inclusivity in decision-making processes, ensuring accountability, and promoting the principles of open governance.
Sustainability and maintenance: Honouring long-term viability, effective resource management, and ongoing support to ensure the sustainability and continuous improvement.
Uptake and reuse: Recognizing successful adoption and implementation, showcasing the scalability and adaptability of the solutions and initiatives, and good practices leading to more potential for widespread reuse.
Collaboration and community: Celebrating vibrant and engaged communities that encourage active collaboration, knowledge sharing, and mutual support among contributors, users, and stakeholders.

The Jury will seek to award the solutions and initiatives that can serve as an inspiration for other European public services, that ‘thought outside the box’, that solved a difficult issue for their constituency, that made a complicated process easier for their entities, that contributed to democratic participation in digital transformation of public services, or that in some other way used Open Source Software as a tool to add value to citizens and public services.

The submission guidelines for the Awards are available here.

Selection phases

26 July

Call for submissions opens

21 September

Submissions close

29 September

OSOR community voting launch

26 October

OSOR community voting closes

21 November

Award 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 will be 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 will support them in arranging travel and accommodation and will cover the costs for 1 person per nominated project.

The representatives of these top entries will be 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.

Make sure that you are part of these great celebrations and register for the conference now!

Do you have questions?

FAQ

Find answers at the frequently asked questions

Contact us

You can send us an email at EU-OSOR@ec.europa.eu.