Public voting for the "Service" award begins as citizens choose the best municipal practices
Public voting has begun for the 3rd All-Russian Municipal Award "Service", where citizens across the country will help determine the best municipal practices. Following a vote by experts, the Supervisory Board approved a list of finalists that includes 110 projects. The public vote is now open, and any resident of the country with a verified account on the Gosuslugi portal can take part. Each of the 11 nominations features ten of the best practices, management solutions and initiatives. Voters may support only one project within each nomination. This stage will run until 6 April inclusive. Based on the results of the public vote, the laureates and winners will be determined and approved at a meeting of the Supervisory Board in April. The award ceremony will take place on 21 April 2026 as part of the 3rd All-Russian Municipal Forum "Small homeland — the strength of Russia". The National Centre RUSSIA is a partner of the event.
Deputy Chief of the Presidential Directorate for Internal Policy Yevgeny Grachev spoke about the importance of citizens taking part in the public vote:
"The municipal level of government is the closest to the population and addresses specific issues affecting people’s quality of life. In this regard, feedback from residents is a key indicator of how effectively municipal teams are working. The finalists, who have already passed a rigorous expert selection process, must now go through the stage of public voting. Citizens’ participation in determining the laureates through the Gosuslugi portal confirms the openness and transparency of the procedure. An active civic position among residents will help identify truly worthy projects aimed at developing territories and improving quality of life."
Co-Chair of the All-Russian Association for the Development of Local Self-Government and member of the Presidium of the Presidential Council for the Development of Local Self-Government Irina Guseva emphasised that approving the TOP-110 finalists is an important stage of the Award that demonstrates the scale and diversity of municipal practices.
"This year we received a record number of applications — more than 63,000 — and each of them is a story of service. The finalists presented projects across a wide range of fields, from urban improvement and the preservation of historical memory to support for families and interethnic harmony. Now the decision rests with the residents of the country. They will determine which initiatives deserve to be recognised as the best. Public voting on Gosuslugi gives everyone the opportunity to become part of a major national event and support those who make life in cities and villages better every day. The "Service" Award unites the municipal community and proves that by developing our small homeland we serve the whole of Russia," she said.
The All-Russian Municipal Award "Service" is held on the instructions of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin. Its goal is to unite the country’s municipal community and increase the prestige of municipal service. The organiser is the All-Russian Association for the Development of Local Self-Government (VARMSU) with the support of the Presidential Executive Office of Russia. The Supervisory Board of the Award is chaired by First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office of Russia Sergei Kiriyenko.
In total, 63,397 applications were submitted for the Award. The most popular nominations by number of submitted projects were "Great Legacy for Future Generations", "Everyone’s Initiative — Shared Success" and "Territory Development — Residents’ Well-Being". All applications first underwent an initial review and then cross-evaluation, during which applicants assessed one another’s management practices. The initiatives were then reviewed by the Expert Council and the Expert Commission, which included partners of the Award as well as representatives of business, government bodies, academia and industry associations. This year, for the first time, previous winners also took part in the council’s work as consultants, helping experts by sharing their experience of preparing projects.
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