First “Good Governance in Municipalities” Awards Presented

On Thursday, 17 September, the “Good Governance in Municipalities” awards were presented for the first time, recognizing municipalities that promote transparency, public participation, high-quality services, and governance aligned with the public interest through concrete initiatives. The aim of the competition is not only to highlight examples of good practice, but also to provide municipalities with an opportunity to draw inspiration from these examples and adopt similar solutions in their own work.

The competition was organized by the Ombudsperson of the Republic of Latvia, Karina Palkova, in cooperation with the Latvian Civic Alliance.

The competition was conducted in two stages. First, all applications were evaluated by a jury, which selected the three strongest initiatives in each category for a public vote. Residents of the respective municipalities then evaluated these shortlisted initiatives. The winners were determined based on a combined assessment of both the jury and the public vote.

A total of 33 initiatives implemented by municipalities and their institutions were submitted to the competition. The participating municipalities included Alūksne, Ādaži, Bauska, Cēsis, Daugavpils, Dienvidkurzeme, Dobele, Jelgava (city and municipality), Krāslava, Liepāja, Līvāni, Mārupe, Riga, Sigulda, Smiltene, and Valmiera.

Good Governance in Service Delivery

The Grand Prize was awarded to the Daugavpils State City Municipality for the initiative “The QTicket Online Appointment Booking System for Scheduling Appointments with Municipal Specialists”. The award was granted for a solution that facilitates and improves residents’ access to and receipt of municipal services.

A Certificate of Recognition was awarded to the Bauska Municipality for the initiative “Promotion of Foster Families”.

Certificates of Appreciation were awarded to:

Liepāja State City Municipality for “Changes to the Structure of the Liepāja E-services Portal”;
Ādaži Municipality for the competition “A Community with a Soul”.

Good Governance in Communication with Residents

The Grand Prize was awarded to Liepāja State City Municipality for its integrated communication campaign for the 2025 municipal elections, “Liepāja is Your Voice!”. The award was granted for its people-centred and innovative communication approach, which encouraged residents’ participation in municipal elections, strengthened understanding of democracy, fostered a sense of belonging, and promoted public involvement in the city’s development.

A Certificate of Recognition was awarded to Valmiera Municipality for the initiative “An Afternoon with the Mayor”.

A Certificate of Appreciation was awarded to Ādaži Municipality for establishing the position of Community Expert.

Good Governance in Citizen Engagement

The Grand Prize was awarded to Ādaži Municipality for the initiative “A Plan for Every Village: Co-creation in Ādaži Municipality Based on Residents’ Interests”. The award was granted for promoting balanced and sustainable village development, enhancing residents’ well-being, improving infrastructure and services, and preserving natural and cultural heritage for future generations.

Certificates of Recognition were awarded to:

Alūksne Municipality for the initiative “Community Festivals in Alūksne Municipality”;
Krāslava Municipality for the annual project competition “Residents Shape Their Environment”;
South Kurzeme Municipality for the hiking series “Explore South Kurzeme”.

A Certificate of Appreciation was awarded to Cēsis Municipality for the initiative “Cēsis 2025 – Latvia’s Capital of Culture”.

Jury

The competition applications were evaluated by a nine-member jury consisting of:

Karina Palkova, Ombudsperson of the Republic of Latvia;
Kristīne Zonberga, Director of the Latvian Civic Alliance;
Ivars Balodis, Chairperson of the Board of the Foundation Association of Persons with Disabilities and Their Friends “Apeirons”;
Baiba Rivža, Secretary General of the Latvian Academy of Sciences;
Zbigņevs Stankevičs, Metropolitan Archbishop of Riga of the Roman Catholic Church;
Daiga Bitiniece, Editor-in-Chief of the newspaper Kurzemnieks;
Signija Zandere, Economic Affairs Expert at the Latvian Employers’ Confederation;
Ilona Anna Eklona, Head of the Public Administration Policy Department at the State Chancellery;
and Ralfs Eilands, musician and comedian.

In each of the three categories, different aspects of good governance were assessed: service delivery, communication with residents, and citizen participation.

Glass Sail – A Symbol of Good Governance

The competition’s main award is designed in the shape of a glass sail. It symbolizes transparency, openness, trustworthiness, and responsible governance, honouring municipalities whose work contributes to creating a better environment for residents.

At the same time, the sail symbolizes progress and forward movement, reflecting the ability not only to respond to current challenges but also to proactively seek new solutions and work together with residents to build a better municipality.

Good Practices Worth Sharing

The significance of this competition extends beyond recognising the award winners. Each of the 33 submitted initiatives represents valuable experience from which others can learn, offering solutions that can be adapted and implemented by other municipalities as well.

Although this competition is being held for the first time, the Ombudsperson intends to continue it in the coming years and establish it as a tradition promoting good governance. Municipalities are therefore already encouraged to identify and reflect on the positive, meaningful, and resident-focused achievements they have accomplished this year. Perhaps one of these initiatives will become a future example to share, inspire others, and demonstrate how good governance works in practice.