Recognise excellence.
A continental awards platform celebrating leaders, teams, organisations and projects creating measurable public value across Africa's public sector.
Find your category.
Public Sector Team of the Year
Awarded to public service projects and teams that have made the most significant improvements and have implemented outstanding social work or social care initiatives that has put service users or clients at its heart.To enter this category, tell us how your project highlights the very best practice in social work or social care. What is the tangible impact on the quality of care or social work delivered by your organisation?.
Outstanding Woman in Public Service
This award category is open to honour individuals (women) who have made outstanding contributions to the public industry through the introduction of new innovations.How have they impacted the lives of others positively?The candidate in this category must have experience of not less than 10 years.
Public Sector Woman of the Year
This award category is open to honour individuals (women) who have made outstanding contributions to the public industry through the introduction of new innovationsHow have they impacted the lives of others positively?The person must substantially contribute to his or her organization’s success.The candidate in this category must have experience of not less than 10 years.
Public Sector Young CEO of the Year
This award celebrates exceptional female leaders driving transformative change in Africa’s public sector. Honouring vision, resilience, and innovation, this category recognizes women who inspire progress, empower communities, and shape a brighter future through impactful governance and public service excellence.
Public Sector CEO of the Year
Honuors an exceptional leader who drives transformative change, fosters innovation, and delivers measurable impact in Africa’s public sector. This prestigious recognition celebrates strategic vision, resilience, and dedication to advancing public welfare and sustainable development across the continent.
Public Sector Personality of the Year
Celebrates an exceptional leader whose visionary leadership, integrity, and transformative impact have redefined public service in Africa. This individual exemplifies dedication, innovation, and excellence, driving sustainable development and inspiring positive change across the continent.
Outstanding Woman in Government
The award celebrates exceptional female leaders driving transformative change in Africa’s public sector. Recognizing their vision, resilience, and dedication, this category honours women who inspire progress, champion inclusive governance, and deliver impactful policies that uplift communities and shape a brighter future for the continent.
Minister of the Year
The "Minister of the Year" award celebrates exceptional leadership in African governance. Honoring a minister who drives transformative policies, fosters innovation, and delivers measurable impact, this category recognizes dedication to public service, economic progress, and social development, shaping a brighter future for their nation and the continentin their nation’s public sector.
Visionary Leadership Award
Celebrating exceptional leaders who inspire transformative change in Africa’s public sector. Honouring innovation, strategic foresight, and impactful governance, this award recognizes individuals driving sustainable development and public welfare through bold, forward-thinking leadership that shapes a brighter future for communities across the continent.
Public Sector Lifetime Achievement Award
Honours an exemplary leader whose enduring commitment and transformative contributions have significantly shaped Africa’s public sector. This prestigious recognition celebrates a career of excellence, innovation, and dedication to advancing governance, public service, and sustainable development across the continent.
Excellence in Business Transformation
Recognises the most outstanding achievements and real results, which organisations achieve through the successful implementation of Business & Digital Transformation, Operational Excellence & Innovation Excellence programs.
Driving Efficiency through Technology Adoption
This award, which is open to organizations across the public sectors, will recognise the ways technology is helping to make the service delivery more efficient. How has the organization employed the use of new technologies in delivering its mandate?
Excellence in Promoting Financial Literacy
Awarded to organizations that have shown exceptional innovation, dedication and commitment to the field of financial literacy.
Sustainable Public Sector Project
Recognizes project which has delivered best value for money for the organisation, based on the Most Economically Advantageous Tender and complies with the applicable obligation in the fields of social, environmental, established labour law and collective agreements.
Innovation in Port Services
Recognise port operators and administrations who are making substantive efforts to contribute to operational Performance, Customer Satisfaction, and a more sustainable port development environment. Given in recognition of the company or port authority that has maintained the highest standards of operational efficiency and customer service throughout the year through exceptional innovation, improved efficiency, profitability or successful investment in port operations.
Driving Digitization in Government
Awarded to a project or team implementing innovative digital technology to improve efficiency and/or deliver public services in new ways. Tell us either how your digital project has improved a service for users or how it has increased your organisation’s own efficiency (or both, if applicable).
Excellence In Regulatory Systems
This award category is open to institutions that have demonstrated best practice in consultation, risk identification and mitigation. The institution has to demonstrate how the system sustains and improves performance over-time. The institution must demonstrate how the effectiveness of a regulatory system is used in achieving its outcome both within and outside the organization.
Public - Private Partnership Initiatives of The Year
This award category is open to public private institutions that have partnered to bring out initiatives that meet and address the pressing needs and wants of people. This category is for public institutions and their private sector partners who have demonstrated excellence and innovation in public-private partnerships such as project financing, service delivery, infrastructure investment and/or generation of economic benefit, which result in enhanced quality of public services and facilities.
Public - Public Partnership Initiatives of The Year
This award category is open to public- public institutions that have partnered to bring out initiatives that meet and address the pressing needs and wants of people. This category is for public institutions and their other public sector partners who have demonstrated excellence and innovation in public-private partnerships such as project financing, service delivery, infrastructure investment and/or generation of economic benefit, which result in enhanced quality of public services and facilities.
Public Sector Campaign of The Year
This award category is open to public sector organizations and public relations consultancies working for, or in partnership with public organizations that have successfully used public relations in achieving a desirable result. This award celebrates the best implementation of Public Relations tools in campaigning by public sector organizations This category is aimed at establishing the best campaign or programme run by a public sector organization in the Africa.
Public Sector Campaign of The Year
This award category is open to public sector organizations and public relations consultancies working for, or in partnership with public organizations that have successfully used public relations in achieving a desirable result. This award celebrates the best implementation of Public Relations tools in campaigning by public sector organizations This category is aimed at establishing the best campaign or programme run by a public sector organization in the Africa.
Innovation In Tourism Services
This award is open to tourism industries in Africa that have created outstanding innovative projects to boost user experience while integrating new business models or using advanced technology that can bring a change in the current tourism landscape. This award recognizes tourism industry providers who have effectively transformed the tourism industry through innovative ways to the benefit of stakeholders.
Most Transformed Public Sector Agency of The Year
This award is open to public agencies that have contributed tremendously towards service excellence and organizational practices. The public sector agency must show evidence of most innovative practice used in transforming local public services.
Best Public Sector Website (Gold - Silver - Bronze)
This award category is open to public sector organizations that have made effective use of their website in interacting with their target audience, clients etc. Public sector organizations whose website adapts the latest trends in design, offers optimal user experience, and contains well-written content. The organizations should be able to showcase exceptional standards, professionalism, accessibility, originality, and overall website effectiveness.
Public Sector Agency of the Year
This is to award excellent and strategic public agency or authority through strong team to tremendously achieve results. The award focuses on public a specific public agency that has used proper corporate governance structure to duly execute its mandates. Demonstrate innovative policies and projects implemented towards delivering its mandate.
Excellence in Community Engagement
The Excellence in Community Engagement recognizes and rewards agency or public institution that collaborates effectively with the community. This involves community engagement programmes, corporate social responsibility projects, and mutual adjustment and cooperation on topical issues. Community engagement describes collaboration between public agency and partnering communities for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity while fulfilling agency’s mission.
Excellence in Promoting and Supporting Education
This focuses on an agency that is committed to achieving academic excellence by promoting innovative pedagogy and by investing in educational programs. It honours an agency that has enhanced dynamic, diverse academic environment and ensured outstanding student learning outcomes by focusing on promoting innovative teaching and learning practices.
Driving Efficiency through Technology Adoption award
This is aimed at agency that uses or has used technology to transform the operations of the organisation. The application of the technology runs through the organisational structure from entry level through management to board of directors. The technology driven agency employs the use of ultramodern and sophisticated application software in digitalising the operations of the organisation in achieving positive results in the shortest possible time.
Excellence in Sports Development
This aims at providing links and opportunities for young people to progress with their sporting ability/participation. This focuses on organisation or agency that has sports development at heart and ensures sports facilities development, talent development, skills development and nurturing and academic sports development.
Excellence in Delivering Customer Services
This award recognizes organizations that are delivering superior customer service. Implemented innovation that have made customer service delivery easy and efficient.
Excellence in Waste Management & Recycling Service
This awards category recognizes organization that are contributing to waste management either through public agencies or public private partnership. Show how modern technology have been used to make waste management efficient.
Excellence in Health & Safety
This award celebrates organizations who are spearheading health and safety projects for the public good. Show projects implemented to contribute to health and safety Demonstrate how impactful the project is.
Excellence in Youth Development
This award recognises youth development initiatives that have been implemented leading to youth empowerment. The initiative should generate levels of direct and indirect employment.
Excellence in Promoting Green Environment
The award specially recognize organizations that have initiative polies that is contributing to green environment. The initiative implemented should be sustainable. Show how the initiative is helping mitigate the effects of climate change.
Excellence in Logistics
This award recognises best practice in managing logistics operations. Show significant contributions to change/transformation in logistics operation Show innovations that have been implement in managing logistics operations during the year under review. Which measures have been taken by Organizations to address the deficiencies exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic in logistics management? Must prioritise ethical practices and uphold values and principles that promotes safety of lives and property.
Excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility
The award provides recognition for an organisation that has achieved outstanding results through key initiatives that demonstrate leadership and commitment to excellence in corporate social responsibility by public sector institutions. Show specific CSR project implemented and demonstrate how it has solved a social problem. The Project should have a direct, positive impact on a minority or disadvantaged group in the community. The implemented project must be sustainable.
Excellence in Energy Management
This award recognizes Energy Management providers who have effectively transform the way they managing energy to the benefit of their stakeholder. Award Excellence in Energy Management among the Public Sector and facilitate sharing of information on Best practices & technologies Demonstrate innovations which has helped to achieve world class energy efficiency standards.
Best Social Media Engagement Agency
This awards category celebrates the effective use of social media channels to communicate the organisations policies and activities. The organization should use multimedia elements in its communication. The agency should be present on at least two social media sites with not less than 1,000 followers with an effective post rate. Quality and originality of shared content. Engagement with their online community.
Most Performing Public Security Agency
This award recognises effective public security delivery with is promoting the peace and security of society. Employ the use of modern technology in security service delivery. Discharging their duties based on professional ethics and respecting human rights.
Best Public University of the Year
This category celebrates Tertiary Institutions that have distinguished themselves in delivery quality public education to improve public service delivery.
State Media of the Year
The award category recognises best professional Journalistic practice from state owned media towards serving society. Judges look out for how the media agency uses both traditional and new media in delivering its mandate. Reach and impact. Media prominence.
Special Recognition to Public Sector Service
This is a special Award presented to individuals who have demonstrated outstanding leadership in public service delivery How this person has demonstrated leadership of a public service in ways that have gone above and beyond their everyday role. How they have led colleagues and encouraged them to develop their own leadership capabilities. The candidate must have not less than 10years experience in public service. The person must substantially contribute to his or her organizations success.
Please read this closely before you enter.
Each award category has its own entry criteria.
Deadlines & delivery
The judges reserve the right to re-allocate an entry deadline & delivery detail. All entries should be submitted on or before the entry deadline, electronically, to awards@instinctwave.net, and must adhere to the required format.
Confidentiality & publication
All materials remain confidential to the judges. We recommend providing as many metrics as possible. Flag any commercially sensitive elements with the wording ‘Not for Publication’ using symbols or footnotes — that information will not be published in any form.
Supporting information
Provide a maximum of three supporting items per entry — chosen with care and relevance. High-quality digital photographs or a short video of your works and achievements are welcome. A summarised one-page presentation is often easier to digest than pages of documentation.
Accompanying logos and images
Your entry must be accompanied by a high-resolution copy of your corporate logo, together with one or two high-resolution images that can be used to support your entry should you be shortlisted. Logos and pictures should be in JPEG or PNG format.