The Espírito Público Award, an initiative recognizing work in Brazil’s public sector, has opened public voting for its eighth edition. Voters can choose among 14 finalist projects on the award’s website until November 27. The public-vote winner will be announced at a ceremony in Brasília on December 9.
The finalists are projects led by public servants working for city governments, state governments, universities and federal agencies. There are two finalists in each of seven categories: social development, education, people management, management and digital transformation, the environment and climate emergencies, health, and public safety. Expert judges will also select projects in each category, with winners receiving R$12,000.
A total of 867 projects were submitted this year. After an eligibility check, each proposal was assessed by two specialists in its field, leaving 14 finalists. The award was established in 2018 and is organized by República.org with support from civil society organizations, specialists and institutions. Its stated aim is to highlight effective public-service practices and encourage evidence-based project development and monitoring.
Two finalists in the people management category focus on public servants. One, from the Piauí State Planning Secretariat, supports employees nearing retirement with guidance on finances, life planning and mental health. The initiative helped establish a state policy to prepare public servants for retirement in 2025.
Its category rival is “Vozes do Serviço Público,” a survey by the National School of Public administration and the Ministry of Management and Innovation in Public services. It is designed to gather regular feedback from federal employees to inform the government’s people-management policies. Active federal employees, including temporary workers and people in appointed positions, can respond through SouGov. The anonymous questionnaire covers topics such as motivation, engagement, workload, career opportunities and managers’ performance.
According to the ministry, the survey data can help improve working conditions and workplace environments, as well as track issues including low motivation, disengagement and illness. Aggregated results are published in the Personnel Observatory, while agencies with higher participation receive reports on their own results.
Descriptions of all 14 finalists are available on the award’s website. Across its seven previous editions, more than 11,000 public servants expressed interest in the initiative, and over 4,000 projects were evaluated.
Sources: Folha Mercado.