Best Practice in Politics
We curate exemplary political work that successfully tackles today’s most pressing issues. This platform is a hub of tried and tested best practices in politics.
#aktivizIM App – Empowering Women and Youth in Politics
The #aktivizIM App empowers Albanian women and youth to increase political participation through an engaging digital platform.
48er-Tandler – A Circular Economy and Re-Use Initiative of the City of Vienna
The 48er-Tandler is a modern reuse shop initiative by the City of Vienna, promoting circular economy principles and waste prevention while making reuse attractive and accessible to a broad audience.
A Council that Cares: Including Care Experienced Young People in Local Democracy
This initiative by Cumberland Council champions care-experienced children and young people, tackling inequalities and empowering their voices across employment, education, and community opportunities.
Active Citizen Academy
Active Citizen Academy in Kraków empowers residents with skills and tools to shape their local communities.
AI-Driven Innovation in Senior Care
Rybnik’s Municipal Social Welfare Home uses AI to personalise senior care and predict health crises for better outcomes.
ALLES CLARA – Digital Relief and Care Counselling for Family Carers
Alles Clara provides digital support to Austria’s unpaid family carers, strengthening both individual resilience and the national care system.
Be Safe, Be Cool in Your School – Protecting Children from Violence in Schools
Be Safe, Be Cool in Your School combats violence against children in Romania through early intervention, education, and child-led solutions that create safer school environments and empowered communities.
Breaking the Cycle – Empowering Domestic Violence Survivors through Financial Support
Kosovo’s first municipal financial aid programme for domestic violence survivors tackles economic dependency by providing direct monthly support to promote long-term safety and independence.
Breaking the Silence – Óbuda-Békásmegyer’s Domestic Violence Victim Support Programme
The Óbuda-Békásmegyer Domestic Violence Victim Support Program provides Hungary’s first municipality-led, comprehensive support system for survivors, addressing national service gaps through direct aid, systemic reform, and public awareness.
CALIOPE: Real-Time Air Quality Forecasting
CALIOPE is an advanced air quality monitoring and forecasting system that provides real-time, high-resolution data and insights to support public health protection and regulatory compliance.
Campus Rural: Revitalizing Rural Spain Through Student Internships
Campus Rural connects university students with rural communities to boost local development and counter demographic decline.
Career Guidance Ostrava
By equipping schoolchildren with career planning skills and connecting them with local employers, Ostrava is empowering its youth to envision a future in their own city.
Caring for Young Minds: Rybnik’s Mental Health Initiative
Facing a growing youth mental health crisis, Rybnik’s innovative support program is delivering accessible therapy—giving adolescents the support they need to heal, grow, and thrive.
Cascais Mental Health Initiative (Cascais Mentalmente)
The Cascais Mental Health Initiative improves equitable access to diverse mental health services for vulnerable groups.
Cascais’ Circular Economy Model: Smart Used Cooking Oil Collection System (Sistema de Recolha de Óleos Alimentares Usados)
Cascais’ Circular Economy Model leverages smart technology and community engagement to transform used cooking oil disposal, advancing circular economy principles and environmental sustainability.
Culture & Popcorn – Reconnecting the Homeless with the Community Through Culture
Culture and Popcorn bridges social exclusion by integrating homeless individuals into cultural life, fostering re-socialisation and personal growth.
Dematerialised Electoral Rolls (CED)
The Dematerialised Electoral Rolls project modernises Portugal’s voting system with secure, digital voter rolls that reduce errors, increase accessibility, and strengthen democracy.
Disability Support Building
The Municipality of Elliniko-Argyroupoli’s Disability Support Building offers holistic services to promote independence, inclusion, and well-being for people with disabilities through state-of-the-art infrastructure and coordinated care.
DoCHECK! Fighting Disinformation through Technology and Non-Formal Education
DoCheck empowers teenagers with media literacy skills to recognise and resist online disinformation, fostering a safer and more informed digital environment across Europe.
Driving STEM in the Midlands of Ireland
Ireland’s Midlands is creating the nation’s first regional STEM ecosystem—uniting local government, educators, industry, and communities to equip the next generation for the future of work.
e-IDDEEA: Your Mobile Gateway to Government Services
e-IDDEEA is a mobile app that enhances access to government services and enables secure remote digital signing for citizens in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
E-library
Finland’s shared E-library provides free, equal access to digital library resources across all public libraries and municipalities, fostering literacy and cultural engagement.
Economies for Healthier Lives
Salford bridges health and economy to empower communities and tackle inequality through innovative social enterprise.
Education Ecological Center Hydropolis
Hydropolis in Wrocław transforms a historic underground water tank into an innovative center, promoting ecological awareness and sustainable water use to millions.
Empower Young Voices
Empower Young Voices is a youth-led initiative enhancing civic engagement and local influence among young people aged 12 to 29, shaping municipal policies through skills-building, participation, and dialogue.
EurHope: The Youth Agenda for a Democratic Europe
EurHope empowers over 1.5 million young Europeans to shape EU policy through a multilingual, participatory campaign that bridges the gap between youth priorities and political leaders.
Expanding Horizons – Supporting Vulnerable Children in Rural Odobesti
The Day Care Center Model in Odobești tackles child poverty and educational inequality in rural Romania by combining tailored support services with community and political engagement.
First Home for Graduates – Building Futures in Białystok
The Apartment for a Graduate programme offers affordable housing to top graduates, helping them settle and work in Białystok.
Forum against Fakes – Together for a Strong Democracy
The Forum against Fakes – Together for a Strong Democracy fosters a nationwide, inclusive debate to combat disinformation and strengthen democratic trust in Germany.
Free Republic of Vienna
Free Republic of Vienna is a pioneering cultural initiative that radically democratises decision-making within Europe’s largest cross-over festival by empowering citizens to co-shape its future.
From Waste to Resource: Rybnik’s Circular Model
Rybnik’s circular economy project transforms food waste into social value, creating a comprehensive system that repurposes surplus food, supports vulnerable groups, and fosters sustainable consumption practices.
GPB + Youth: Young Voices, Real Choices
GPB + Youth is a participatory democracy mechanism with a deliberative nature, giving young people in Gaia – aged 13 to 30 – the power to decide how municipal public funds should be invested.
Greece’s First Eco Island
Halki’s initiative leverages renewable energy and smart solutions to achieve energy self-sufficiency, reduce costs, and foster sustainable development on the small Greek island, serving as a replicable model for green transitions in isolated communities.
Green Urban Bus Shelters: A Sustainable Revolution in Ostrów Wielkopolski
The Green Urban Bus Shelters project in Ostrów Wielkopolski replaces traditional bus stops with eco-friendly shelters featuring year-round vegetation that cools waiting areas, improves air quality, and supports the city’s broader goals for sustainable urban transport and climate resilience.
Health on Wheels: Mobile Screening Across Budapest
Budapest’s Screening Bus program brings free health screenings directly to residents to improve life expectancy.
Hello Bundestag (Hallo Bundestag): Electoral District Days
This project reimagines Germany’s electoral districts as spaces for inclusive, structured dialogue between citizens and their elected representatives to rebuild trust in democracy.
ISPADIF: A European Game-Changer in Fighting Against Medicine Shortages
ISPADIF is a digital system that uses AI to monitor and predict medicine shortages, ensuring reliable drug supply in Greece.
Just Energy Transition Fund for Families (Fundo Verde de Apoio às Famílias de Cascais)
Cascais’ Just Energy Transition Fund for Families provides financial support, technical assistance, and community engagement to help low- and middle-income households reduce energy costs, improve comfort, and adopt sustainable energy solutions.
KidsLikeUs: Empowering NGOs & Public Institutions in Helping Children Overcome Migration Traumas
KidsLikeUs supports displaced and vulnerable children by creating inclusive Superhero Sensory Gardens that promote healing, emotional well-being, and social integration through nature-based engagement.
LIFE TreeCheck: Green Infrastructure to Minimise the Urban Heat Island Effect
Tree Check is a mobile app that educates users about the cooling effects of urban trees during heatwaves, promoting climate resilience and encouraging tree preservation.
Manresa Il·lumina Business Energy Community
Manresa Il·lumina Business Energy Community brings together companies in the Bufalvent industrial estate to implement a collaborative solar energy model, promoting local generation, reducing costs, and enhancing business resilience.
My first pages
My First Pages ensures equal access to books and promotes literacy from birth through targeted book distribution and family engagement activities.
Office for Participation and Empowerment – City of Vienna
The Office for Participation and Empowerment is a key institution of the City of Vienna dedicated to advancing participation and democracy by fostering co-creation and inclusive collaboration.
Open Schoolyards
Bilbao is transforming schoolyards into inclusive community hubs that promote informal learning, intergenerational connection, and youth employment.
#aktivizIM App – Empowering Women and Youth in Politics
The #aktivizIM App empowers Albanian women and youth to increase political participation through an engaging digital platform.
48er-Tandler – A Circular Economy and Re-Use Initiative of the City of Vienna
The 48er-Tandler is a modern reuse shop initiative by the City of Vienna, promoting circular economy principles and waste prevention while making reuse attractive and accessible to a broad audience.
A Council that Cares: Including Care Experienced Young People in Local Democracy
This initiative by Cumberland Council champions care-experienced children and young people, tackling inequalities and empowering their voices across employment, education, and community opportunities.
Active Citizen Academy
Active Citizen Academy in Kraków empowers residents with skills and tools to shape their local communities.
AI-Driven Innovation in Senior Care
Rybnik’s Municipal Social Welfare Home uses AI to personalise senior care and predict health crises for better outcomes.
ALLES CLARA – Digital Relief and Care Counselling for Family Carers
Alles Clara provides digital support to Austria’s unpaid family carers, strengthening both individual resilience and the national care system.
Be Safe, Be Cool in Your School – Protecting Children from Violence in Schools
Be Safe, Be Cool in Your School combats violence against children in Romania through early intervention, education, and child-led solutions that create safer school environments and empowered communities.
Breaking the Cycle – Empowering Domestic Violence Survivors through Financial Support
Kosovo’s first municipal financial aid programme for domestic violence survivors tackles economic dependency by providing direct monthly support to promote long-term safety and independence.
Breaking the Silence – Óbuda-Békásmegyer’s Domestic Violence Victim Support Programme
The Óbuda-Békásmegyer Domestic Violence Victim Support Program provides Hungary’s first municipality-led, comprehensive support system for survivors, addressing national service gaps through direct aid, systemic reform, and public awareness.
CALIOPE: Real-Time Air Quality Forecasting
CALIOPE is an advanced air quality monitoring and forecasting system that provides real-time, high-resolution data and insights to support public health protection and regulatory compliance.
Campus Rural: Revitalizing Rural Spain Through Student Internships
Campus Rural connects university students with rural communities to boost local development and counter demographic decline.
Career Guidance Ostrava
By equipping schoolchildren with career planning skills and connecting them with local employers, Ostrava is empowering its youth to envision a future in their own city.
The Winners
of the Innovation in Politics Awards 2024
DEC112 – Digital Emergency Communication 112
In 2019, DEC112 was launched to provide an alternative to speech-based emergency communication by implementing a text-based service.
Condominium E-Voting – Successful E-Democracy
Condominium E-Voting allows residents to communicate their housing issues in a quick, easy, and safe manner, enhancing their engagement in the decision-making process and improving the efficiency of services.
Foodcard: dignified state food aid for people in need
The Foodcard is an innovative solution which gives people the freedom and dignity to choose what food and necessities to buy, and from where.
