The 2025 Espírito Público Award recognized transformative initiatives by public servants across various categories. The ceremony took place on Thursday (27) in Brasília, organized by República.org. Among the winners are projects expanding rural connectivity and integrating ocean education.
In the seventh edition of the Espírito Público Award, 858 projects from across the country were submitted and evaluated by 21 jurors. The winners, selected in seven categories, each receive R$ 10,000 and highlight excellence, ethics, and innovation in public service.
"The Espírito Público Award was created to recognize excellent people who work in governments across Brazil. This group is the salt of Brazilian land and the mainstay of our democracy," says Guilherme Cezar Coelho, founder of República.org. He adds: "There is no good life without good services and public servants. That's what we see in Brazil and in countries where it's good to live."
In the Social Development category, the Identifique-se policy from the Espírito Santo government won by standardizing civil document issuance for prisoners and ex-prisoners, reducing recidivism. In Education, the Currículo Azul, developed by Unifesp with Unesco and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, incorporates ocean culture into school curricula, including the Ocean Olympiad.
The National Unified Contest (CNU) from the Federal District won in People Management by centralizing 6,640 federal vacancies with over 2 million applicants. In Management and Digital Transformation, Paraná's Rural Connectivity increased rural internet coverage from 51.4% to 61.1% in under a year, installing 500 towers and benefiting 300,000 people without direct public funds.
The Senate Nursery in the Federal District won in Environment and Climate Emergency with its accessible urban agroforestry space. In Health, the 2021-launched qualification course for sexual violence cases, also from DF, improves humane care. The Alvorada Project – II Cycle from the National Secretariat of Penal Policies won in Public Security with 720-hour courses for ex-prisoners.
By Popular Vote, with 43,000 votes, the RS Servidor App from Rio Grande do Sul's Treasury modernizes state server services. Across seven editions, 114 projects from 11,000 servers have been awarded, with about 4,000 initiatives presented.