Call for Participation

Please note that the Call for Participation for the 2025 programme is now closed. The next Call for Participation will open in October 2025 for the 2026 programme.

About the Project Showcase category: 

Tell us about an existing or recently finished project or initiative that demonstrates effective bureaucracy hacking in action!

We are interested in all types of innovations at all levels of government – from improved services to streamlined processes, organisational culture hacks to new participatory governance mechanisms, cross-sector collaboration successes to reframed social problems.  

How do I submit my application?

In order to submit your application you simply have to register with your email address in our application system, fill in the form and submit your entry. You can also save the progress on your application and return to it at a later date.

How are Project Showcases assessed and what happens if I am selected? 

After the Call for Participation closes, our team will review all Project Showcase entries to create shortlists for our jury. 

Three selection criteria – Creative Bureaucracy Factor, Relevance and Impact, and Structure and Storytelling – will be used to assess all entries.

In both languages, the Jury will select 15 successful Project Showcases: 1 Jury Favourite and 14 Jury Finalists. 

• The 1 Jury Favourite are invited for a deep-dive video interview that will feature in the Digital Kick-Off Day (online). They receive an invitation to present their project at the Creative Bureaucracy Festival live in Berlin on 5 June 2025.
• The 14 Jury Finalists are invited to self-produce a 1- to 3-minute project teaser video for the Digital Kick-Off Day (online) and take part in a Community Voting leading up to the day. The three top-voted sessions – crowned the Community Voting Winners – secure an invitation and travel scholarship to present their projects at the Creative Bureaucracy Festival live in Berlin on 5 June 2025. 

Eligibility requirements:  

• The project is currently running or was finished within the last 5 years.
• Public servants are actively involved. Please note that we don’t accept Project Showcase entries from purely private sector organisations.
• Submission in English or German. 

Please note that the Call for Participation for the 2025 programme is now closed. The next Call for Participation will open in October 2025 for the 2026 programme.

About the Digital Workshop category 

Tell us about how you empower public changemakers to rewire their public institutions and strengthen democracy with your imaginative toolbox! 

With this category you have the chance to host a live 90-minute workshop as part of the Digital Kick-Off Day. 

How do I submit my application?

In order to submit your application you simply have to register with your email address in our application system, fill in the form and submit your entry. You can also save the progress on your application and return to it at a later date.

How are Digital Workshops assessed and what happens if you are selected? 

Our team will assess proposals based on three selection criteria: Creative Bureaucracy Factor, Relevance and Impact, and Structure and Storytelling. Find details in the section below. 

The Digital Kick-Off Day features four different workshop time slots. You can indicate which time options work for you in the submission form. Workshops can be held either in English or German. 

Successful entries will need to self-host the workshop on a digital platform of their choosing. You provide us with a registration link, we feature it in our programme calendar, and we jointly promote the workshop. All digital workshops will also be promoted via the Creative Bureaucracy Festival's communication channels. 

Project eligiblity: 

• A bold, imaginative, experimental, or otherwise engaging workshop framing and approach
• A well thought-through methodology with a clear and relevant objective and intended takeaways for participants
• Ability to host a digital workshop of up to 90 minutes via a digital platform of your choosing (including registration link) which we feature in our programme calendar and help to promote. 

How  creative or innovative  is the submission in its approach to making bureaucracy fit for the future? 

• Does it show how world views and concepts can be rethought? 
• Does it show how flexibility and adaptability can be used to develop better solutions? 
• Does it demonstrate a collaborative, experimental, transdisciplinary and cross-sectoral approach? 
• Does it demonstrate a culture of openness, transparency, humility and continuous learning? 

For more details, reference our “Definitions of Creative Bureaucracy” here, download the free “The Creative Bureaucracy & Its Radical Common Sense” book here, and find examples from our past programme across different topic areas here. 

How effectively could the proposal contribute to systems level change?  

• Does it aim to achieve significant, lasting change within public administrations or in the delivery of public services? 
• Are the “issue” (the challenge addressed),“idea” (the creative solution) and “impact” (evidence of results/learnings) coherent and relevant for the context? 
• Could the learnings be useful for other contexts? 
• Does it demonstrate a commitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion? 

Is the proposal well-structured and told through engaging storytelling?  

• Are the “issue” (the challenge addressed), “idea” (the creative solution) and “impact (evidence of results/learnings) well thought through and clearly expressed? 
• Would the proposal inspire others to think differently or take action? 
• Does the proposal avoid overuse of buzzwords, focusing instead on clear and meaningful content?