• 12/10/2025
  • Shaping the future

Awarded digitization for local authorities

At the Digital Award 2025 at KOMMUNALE, municipalities, counties, and authorities demonstrated how digital administration works.

Written by Stefan Jablonka

Six people – three men and three women – stand on a stage in front of a large screen with the words “Cities and municipalities with fewer than 20,000 inhabitants.” The logos of the municipalities of Kloster Lehnin and Bad Soden-Salmünster can be seen in the background. On the left at the front, one person stands at a lectern bearing the logo “Nürnberg KOMMUNALE.” The people are wearing formal attire, including suits, blazers, and name tags. The scene shows an award ceremony at the KOMMUNALE trade fair.

At the start of the KOMMUNALE 2025 administrative trade fair, Nuremberg's mayor, Marcus König, emphasized in his opening speech that digitalization is not an end in itself. “It's about efficiency, transparency, and citizen-friendliness – not technology for technology's sake,” said König. Nuremberg wants to be not only a host, but also a place for dialogue and a partner for other municipalities. Under the motto “Südschiene – together for strong communities,” the trade fair will “focus on cooperation and regions – between Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, between municipalities, administrations, and all stakeholders.”  

An award for digital pioneers

In the evening, the Digital Award 2025, which was presented for the fourth time to municipalities, counties, and authorities, put the spotlight on the best municipal digitization projects. The award was presented in three categories:

  • Municipalities with up to 20,000 inhabitants
  • Municipalities with more than 20,000 inhabitants
  • Counties, ministries, and other authorities
     

At the award ceremony, Bavaria's Minister for Digital Affairs, Dr. Fabian Ehring, emphasized in his keynote speech that, in his view, digitalization is the key tool for combating bureaucracy and the consequences of demographic change – and at the same time a prerequisite for citizens to continue to trust the state. Processes need to be rethought, not just digitally replicated: if technology takes over routine tasks and the administration provides proactive information instead of sending people through a jungle of applications, the state can demonstrate modern, reliable service quality. “If we continue to believe that digitalization simply means transferring an old process to the internet, then it will be difficult. We must have the courage to put every process on the dissecting table – only then can we achieve genuine debureaucratization,” said Ehring, calling for real change.

Category 1: Small municipalities with great pragmatism 

1st place – Municipality of Kloster Lehnin: Dog tax – a small issue with a big impact. In Lehnin, dogs can now be registered and deregistered online – including BUND ID and digital payment. A flexible application module feeds the data directly into specialist procedures, DMS, and e-files. The entire workflow was set up in just three months – a pace that sets standards and noticeably reduces the burden on both the administration and citizens.

2nd place – Weisendorf market town: Weisendorf's digital twin links the perspectives of the administration, council, and citizens. Sensors support winter road maintenance, tree and traffic data improve planning, and the virtual office facilitates access – especially for older people. Numerous citizen ideas were incorporated into the land use plan. The result is a vibrant, learning data space that is constantly growing – even extending to disaster control applications.

3rd place – Bad Soden-Salmünster: The city analyzed 34 processes to clarify where AI really helps. The “digital accomplices” created transparency regarding case numbers, time expenditures, and process costs, as well as a transferable SaaS solution for other municipalities. The result: strategic relief despite a shortage of skilled workers.

These winners show that digitalization is not an end in itself, but rather a tangible benefit – from smart applications and strategic AI to participation on an equal footing.

Six people – five men and one woman – stand on a stage in front of a screen bearing the words “Cities and municipalities with over 20,000 inhabitants.” The logos of the cities of Nettetal, Nuremberg, and Leipzig can be seen in the background. Two people are holding framed certificates, and another person is holding a trophy. On the left, a laptop with the “Nuremberg KOMMUNALE” logo is visible on a table. The clothing is mostly formal, with shirts, suits, and name tags. The scene shows the award ceremony for larger municipalities at the 2025 Digital Award.
Digital pioneers in the spotlight: At the Digital Award 2025 during KOMMUNALE, the best projects from larger cities and municipalities were honored.

Category 2: Data culture and AI as a model for success 

1st place – City of Nuremberg: Nuremberg takes first place with its project “Living data culture – digitally sovereign. Decentralized. Citizen-oriented.” The city takes a holistic approach to data management: technology, organization, training – and data ethics. A Data Governance Board sets standards and decides on matters such as open data licenses. Specialist departments create quality-assured data products, training courses strengthen data literacy, and silos are broken down. “Data is the foundation of a modern and sustainable administration,” said Mayor König at the award ceremony.

2nd – City of Leipzig: With “AI Fox” (LeoGPT), Leipzig makes knowledge permanently available. A multimodal system links documents, notes, and laws – with source references and high hit quality. In initial tests, up to 80% of recurring queries could be answered automatically.

3rd place – City of Nettetal: Nettetal relies on AI in its own hands: An open-source-based portal runs on its own hardware, links internal documents, and provides data protection-compliant answers. Training concepts prepare employees for automation – the result: a strategic platform for efficiency and knowledge transfer.

This category shows how larger municipalities combine scaling with responsibility – they create infrastructures, secure knowledge, and ensure faster decisions.

Category 3: Exemplary counties and authorities

1st place – Darmstadt-Dieburg County: With “LaDaDi KOMPAKT,” the county brings its most important news to social media in 90 seconds. A ChatGPT script condenses content, and an AI avatar presents it lip-synced in the corporate design. Production takes 30 minutes – low costs, high reach, maximum citizen engagement.

2nd place – Rhine District of Neuss: Eight municipalities and one district are joining forces to create a digital twin complete with an urban data platform. Standardized data – from 3D models to sensor technology – ensures faster planning, fewer site visits, and better decisions.

3rd place – Augsburg District Office: With “JuKI,” the youth welfare AI, Augsburg supports complex decisions in economic youth welfare. Based on AI analysis platforms, JuKI filters relevant content and suggests well-founded options. This saves research time, increases legal certainty, and facilitates knowledge transfer.

This category shows that at the district level, digitalization is becoming a team effort – from smart public relations to shared data infrastructure to AI assistance in specialized procedures.

From award to practice 

The Digital Award 2025 is not an end point, but a benchmark: it documents how far local authorities in Germany have already come – and how much digitalization is shaping administrative culture today. “We shouldn't just talk – we should take action,” said König on behalf of many cities and local authorities at the opening ceremony that morning. 

In the evening, the mayor of Nuremberg was also delighted to announce that the city of Nuremberg had won first place in the category “Cities and municipalities with more than 20,000 inhabitants”: “This award confirms our strategic course. Data is the basis of modern and sustainable administration,” emphasized König, adding: “With our data management, we are showing that digitalization means much more than just new technology. It's about taking responsibility, sharing knowledge, and focusing on the benefits for the people in our city.”

Author

Portrait of Stefan Jablonka
Stefan Jablonka
Freelance journalist