The 50-in-5 Awards celebrate countries and individuals demonstrating advancing safe, inclusive, and interoperable DPI. The awards highlight digital cooperation, the positive change driven by digital public infrastructure, and the individuals making a difference — showcasing lessons learned and best practices for other countries globally.
Coordinated by the Digital Public Goods Alliance Secretariat in partnership with Co-Develop
About the 50-in-5 Awards
As 50-in-5 enters its third year, the global conversation has expanded from why DPI matters to how it is being scaled – and the real-world positive impact that is having on people's lives and the economies it is helping to strengthen. To complement this, the 50-in-5 Awards aim to highlight best practices, inspire learning, and recognise achievements that accelerate the adoption of safe, inclusive, and interoperable DPI worldwide.
Award Categories
Collaboration
Recognises that collaboration can accelerate DPI implementation and improve outcomes, honouring two or more countries that have worked together to implement, or improve a DPI deployment.
Impact
Highlights a country where DPI is delivering meaningful improvements to people's lives, celebrating tangible outcomes that show how DPI is driving real-world change, such as expanding access to essential services or reaching more people effectively.
Individual Contribution
Behind every successful DPI initiative are people driving progress, sharing knowledge, and advocating for safe, inclusive, and interoperable systems. This category recognises an individual who embodies the spirit of 50-in-5.
When Will the Awards Be Celebrated?
Coordinated by the Digital Public Goods Alliance, the 50-in-5 Awards will be presented during the 50-in-5 Milestone Event at the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 81) in New York City, USA.
Selection Panel
A distinguished panel of leaders from across the digital public infrastructure ecosystem will review nominations.
Sanjay Jain
Panel ChairDirector of Digital Public Infrastructure
Gates Foundation
Robert Opp
Chief Digital Officer and Global Director, Digital, AI and Innovation
UNDP
Fui Meng Liew
Chief of Digital Centre of Excellence
UNICEF
Sabine Mensah
Deputy CEO
AfricaNenda
Marika Popp
GovStack Project Lead for Estonia
GovStack
Daniel Abadie
Head of Technology & Partnerships
CDPI
Jonathan Marskell
Senior Digital Specialist, East Asia and Pacific
World Bank
Recognition and Collaboration Opportunities
Award recipients will have the following opportunities:
Global Recognition and Visibility
- On-stage recognition at the 50-in-5 Milestone Event during the 81st session of the UN General Assembly week.
- Professionally produced communications assets, including video features and editorial content, showcasing recipients' work to a global audience.
- On-stage recognition at the main stage during the 2027 Global DPI Summit.
International Engagement and Collaboration
- Opportunities to connect with senior government representatives and key actors across the DPI ecosystem.
- High-level visibility among leaders throughout the digital transformation ecosystem, including governments, civil society, and funders.
Participation Support
- Funded travel for up to two government representatives to attend the 50-in-5 Milestone Event in New York City.
- Logistical support to enable full participation in the official program.
Eligibility & Submission Guidelines
- Only countries formally participating within 50-in-5 can apply
- Any 50-in-5 country may submit one nomination per award category
- Peer nominations of other 50-in-5 countries are allowed (and encouraged!)
Explore the eligibility criteria here to see how you can participate.
Applicants are encouraged to draw on the Universal DPI Safeguards Framework to explain how they have addressed safety and inclusion.
Key Dates
How to nominate?
Submit your nomination through the form.
Submit NominationAbout 50-in-5
50-in-5 is an advocacy campaign that, by 2028, aims to have supported 50 countries to design, launch, and scale components of their digital public infrastructure in a safe, inclusive, and interoperable manner, by bringing them together to share best practices and knowledge on DPI implementation.