THE CREATIVE BUREAUCRACY FESTIVAL AWARD

They are unsung heroes. Fighters for the common good. Unconventional thinkers. But rarely do they receive the praise they deserve. We want to change this and celebrate them.

This is why, every year, Charles Landry and the team of the Creative Bureaucracy Festival identify people in government or other fields who have made a difference and who have contributed to making the lives of citizens like you and us better. At each Creative Bureaucracy Festival, we honor these changemakers and innovators with the Creative Bureaucracy Award – a badge of honour for those striving to make good things happen in the public sector but who are overlooked far too often.

The Award Ceremony takes place on the Impact Stage during the Closing of the Festival on 13 June, 18:00-19:00 CEST.

We are delighted to introduce the remarkable recipients of this year’s Creative Bureaucracy Award. Each of these three individuals has demonstrated extraordinary dedication to improving the lives of citizens, making significant contributions.

The award is being presented to Matthias Ecke, politician and public administration employee, for his commitment to democracy. Matthias Ecke was physically attacked and severely injured during the election campaign. Attacks of this nature serve to intimidate democratic society, but for Matthias Ecke, giving up was never an option, and he continues to advocate for a democratic, united, and strong Europe and a cohesive society. Through his unwavering dedication, he stands against right-wing extremism and violence, sending a clear message against hate and incitement and for democracy.

This award is presented to Sophie Howe for her pioneering work to reform systems to protect future generations, most notably in her role as the world’s first Future Generations Commissioner in Wales and her subsequent efforts to share these learnings with other countries. 

Sophie started her political engagement early. At just 4 years old, she joined her father on a “right to work” march, and by the age of 13, she was organizing a sit-in to allow girls to wear trousers at school. The first member of her family to attend university, Sophie became the youngest councillor in Wales at 21, focusing heavily on equality and youth issues over the next decade.

In 2016, Sophie became the world’s first Future Generations Commissioner, a position created by a Welsh act of parliament to ensure the government adhered to the ambitious goals of the pioneering Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act of 2015. Since leaving this role in 2022 she has been supporting others to follow suit and enact similar governance reforms.

This award is presented to Christiana Bukalo for her commitment to addressing the challenges faced by stateless individuals. As the founder of Statefree, Christiana has created a vital platform that fosters community and advocacy for stateless people worldwide.

Born stateless in Munich, Christiana experienced firsthand the profound impacts of statelessness, such as limited access to rights and societal exclusion. Her personal journey inspired her to build Statefree, a digital and physical space where stateless individuals can connect, share experiences, and advocate for their rights.

Christiana’s work with Statefree has brought visibility to the issue of statelessness, mobilising public and political support to transform policies and improve the lives of stateless people. Her commitment to social change has made significant strides towards a world where stateless individuals can live with dignity and full rights.

“Creativity in public administration enables us to build unimagined solutions for complex challenges, such as the highly overlooked issue of statelessness. It broadens our perspective, allowing us to create inclusive structures for those who have been kept invisible for too long, empowering us to provide them with equitable access to human rights.”