The Technical Secretariat of the International Observatory on Participatory Democracy is pleased to announce that we have received 188 submissions for the 20th edition of the OIDP “Best Practice in Citizen Participation” Award from 138 local and regional governments.

These participatory initiatives come from 41 countries across five continents, benefiting over 300 million inhabitants. Additionally, 53 of these initiatives have been nominated for the special mention of “Sustainability,” standing out for their sustained impact with five or more years of implementation. This result is more than just a number: it is a testimony to the commitment of local and regional governments at the frontline to defend and deepen democracy in these challenging times.

We thank all the local and regional governments and organizations that have submitted their best practices in local democracy!

Discover all the practices on ParticipateOIDP!

The received nominations have been organized into five key categories:

• Building more democratic and peaceful cities and territories – 86 practices

• Urban planning and public space – 37 practices

• Gender and care – 29 practices

• Ecological transition and environment – 17 practices

• Civic technology – 19 practices

We invite you to explore them on the ParticipateOIDP platform and learn how different cities and territories are innovating in participatory democracy.

First phase of evaluation in progress

The OIDP Jury will start evaluating the nominations to select the 40 finalists that will move on to the final stage.

Stay tuned! In June, we will open public voting, where you can choose your favorite practices.

OIDP Conference Krakow 2026: Award ceremony and special mentions

The local and regional government winner of the OIDP Award will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to attend our 25th OIDP Conference in Krakow (Poland) from September 21 to 23.