More than 61,000 applications have been submitted to the 3rd All‑Russian Municipal Award "Service".

      The results of the application campaign for participation in the III All‑Russian Municipal Award "Service" were announced today by the award organizers at a press conference at TASS. The award is held at the instruction of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin. The organizer of the award is the All‑Russian Association for the Development of Local Self‑Government (VARMSU) with the support of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation.

      As Evgeny Grachev, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of the Russian Federation for Internal Policy, reported, this year 61,460 applications were submitted for consideration, both individual and team entries, which is three times more than in the first season.

      "The award is part of the systemic measures adopted by our country's president, Vladimir Putin, and aimed at increasing the authority and prestige of municipal service. The Supervisory Board of the award, chaired by the First Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation Sergey Kiriyenko, has set the task for the Award to be a truly living organism, based on the opinion of the municipal community. Therefore, extensive preparatory work was carried out before the third season. We carefully analyzed growth points, took into account the suggestions of the winners and municipal councils, and received record interest — 61 thousand applications from across the country. Among the ten new categories approved by the Supervisory Board, two new ones appeared — 'Professional Personnel — the Future of the Municipality' and 'From the Front Line of the Special Military Operation — into the Municipality.' Also, after the President announced 2026 as the Year of the Unity of the Peoples of Russia, we began to receive proposals from the municipal community to establish an additional category. We worked through the issue with members of the Supervisory Board and decided to establish the category 'Unity of the Peoples — the Strength of the Country.' The call for applications in this category started today and will run until January 18, 2026," Evgeny Grachev said.

      In the opinion of the head of the municipal formation Selenchinsky District and chairman of the Council of Municipal Formations of the Republic of Buryatia, Stanislav Garmaev, the appearance of the new category "Unity of the Peoples — the Strength of the Country" is an important step in supporting initiatives to strengthen interethnic concord: "For me, as a representative of a national republic, it is especially valuable that the proposal to create a special category was heard. As the President of Russia rightly emphasized, public and national unity are the main support of our sovereignty. I am confident that the best municipal initiatives in the field of interethnic relations should receive deserved recognition and become an impetus for positive changes across the country."

      Irina Guseva, co‑chair of VARMSU and member of the presidium of the Council under the President of the Russian Federation for the Development of Local Self‑Government, noted that the "Service" award continues to unite municipal employees of different generations. Interest in participating has noticeably grown this season, and the award itself has become younger and more dynamic while remaining open to all who serve their small homeland and their people.

      "The 'Service' award underscores the key importance of the municipal level of governance — our president has spoken about this repeatedly. This award was created for those who sincerely serve their people and their land. In 2026 more than 60 thousand people are participating, and among them 34% are repeat participants. This shows high loyalty and trust in the award. At the same time, 66% are newcomers, which indicates growing interest: municipal employees want to see that their work is truly important to the country and genuinely valued. In addition, I would like to note that the 'Service' award has become younger compared to last year: whereas previously most participants were aged 45–54, we now see a predominance of the 35–44 age group. Our most experienced participant is 92 years old, which means the award is open to municipal workers of any age," Irina Guseva said.

      The most in‑demand categories by number of applications were "A Great Heritage for Future Generations," "Everyone's Initiative — Collective Success" and "Territorial Development — Residents' Well‑being."

      Acting Head of the city of Cheboksary Stanislav Trofimov said that this year more than 3.6 thousand applications were submitted for the category for young specialists (a year earlier there were just over 2.5 thousand). The award is becoming a growth platform for a new generation of managers, opening access to mentorship and the country's best municipal practices. "Interest among young managers in the 'Service' award continues to grow rapidly. The youngest participant is only 18 years old. This speaks to the popularization of municipal service among youth. From personal experience, as a winner of last year's category, I can say that participation in this event opens a new, meaningful stage in one's professional path. It sets a higher bar of responsibility for the new generation of employees and helps them adopt the experience of the best experts in this field," the acting head of the city said.

      The highest numbers of applications were demonstrated by: Kemerovo Region — Kuzbass, Khanty‑Mansi Autonomous Okrug — Yugra, Moscow Region, Krasnodar Krai, Republic of Bashkortostan, Republic of Tatarstan, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Perm Krai, Republic of Dagestan and Saratov Region.

      "Krasnoyarsk Krai has been among the top 10 regions by number of applications for the third year in a row. Last season, three of our projects immediately made it into the top 100. Experts noted the project of the Norilsk administration to ensure the safe transport of passengers in the conditions of the Far North, Zheleznogorsk's initiative to provide comprehensive assistance to SVO fighters and their families, and the project of the Priluzhsky village council, where, thanks to a partnership with businesses, roads and a water supply system were repaired and a square was landscaped. It is precisely such projects, when municipalities adopt best practices and coordinate efforts, that allow for maintaining a high pace of territorial development. I express enormous gratitude to VARMSU, which helps unite municipal officials and improve their competencies," said Governor of Krasnoyarsk Krai Mikhail Kotyukov.

      Chairman of the City Duma of Nizhny Novgorod, a veteran of the special military operation and three‑time recipient of the Order of Courage, Evgeny Chintsov emphasized two new categories — "Professional Personnel — the Future of the Municipality" and "From the Front Line of the Special Military Operation — into the Municipality." In his opinion, their introduction has given the award a new impetus.

      "It is valuable that this year there is a category dedicated to supporting participants of the special military operation. Their qualities — responsibility, devotion to duty and patriotism — are ideally suited for working for the benefit of the people. We see real examples: participants of the special military operation today successfully chair city dumas in Tambov, Tomsk and Birobidzhan. In the single voting day elections, 837 candidates who are participants of the special operation won. Veterans should undoubtedly become a new elite of municipal governance. I myself took part in operations in Chechnya, Ingushetia, Georgia and Syria, and in the special military operation in Ukraine, and I know that such assistance is needed by our fighters and their families. Our main task is to provide them the opportunity to apply their potential for the benefit of peaceful creation, and the municipal level is an excellent platform for that," Evgeny Chintsov noted.

      The award ceremony for the winners of the "Service" award will take place in April 2026 as part of the III All‑Russian Municipal Forum "SMALL MOTHERLAND — THE STRENGTH OF RUSSIA" (18+).

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