The European Ombudsman, Emily O'Reilly, invites nominations for the third biennial ‘Award for Good Administration’ in the EU institutions.

Nominations for the award – to be submitted by end January 2021 – can be made by EU staff, or by businesses, associations or civil society groups. The nominated work should have a visible and positive impact on the lives of EU citizens.

“The devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic remind us of the value of competent, transparent, and responsible public administration.”

“I look forward to once again receiving many excellent nominations for the award. It is more important than ever to recognise good administration when we see it,” said Ms O’Reilly.

The 2019 award attracted 54 nominations and saw prizes awarded in six categories. The overall award went to the European Commission for its initiative in plastics pollution reduction and awareness raising.

The award is open to staff in all EU institutions, agencies and bodies. Individuals, teams or units can be put forward as candidates, or may put themselves forward, along with concrete examples of good administration.

The nomination period opens on 12 November 2020 and closes on 31 January 2021. Submissions should relate to the period January 2019 - December 2020. Entries will be judged on the extent to which they reflect the core principles of good public administration. Categories for the award submissions include excellence in open administration; excellence in communications; and excellence in crisis management.

An advisory committee will draw up a short-list of the best nominees and the winners will be selected by the European Ombudsman. The award ceremony will take place in June 2021.

The rules of procedure and the submission form for the award are available on the European Ombudsman website.