Featured September 12, 2024 An inside look at the ‘Oscars’ of government: Meet our 2024 Sammies winners Back to Blog 2024 Federal Data Excellence Awards spotlight the importance of accessible, transparent government data Date March 6, 2025 Authors Partnership for Public Service Tags Innovation and Technology, Recognition Last month, the Partnership for Public Service teamed up with USAFacts to present the inaugural Federal Data Excellence Awards. The awards celebrate agencies’ efforts to improve federal data practices and spotlight the transformative power of accessible, transparent government data. The winners were announced during a virtual event on Feb. 20, where Partnership President and CEO Max Stier emphasized how during these times of turmoil for the federal workforce, it is important now more than ever to highlight federal agencies and civil servants striving to bridge the gap between the government and the public. These awards also build on the Partnership’s track record of recognizing excellence in government, highlighted by the annual Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals® and Best Places to Work in the Federal Government® rankings, two programs that illustrate what works in government and why a nonpartisan civil service is core to our democracy. Choosing the winners Richard Coffin, director of research and advocacy at USAFacts, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to make federal data more accessible to the public, joined Stier to present these awards. Coffin discussed how staffing shortages, limited resources and inadequate funding are just a few of the key factors that make federal data difficult to access. The awards program highlighted examples to the contrary. The Partnership, USAFacts and numerous federal data leaders worked together to develop criteria for assessing submissions. In all, 55 data products were evaluated, nominated by individuals across government agencies. Meet the 2024 Federal Data Excellence Awards winners Here are the winners, divided into four award categories: Financial Product Award Foreign Assistance Dashboard, State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development Honors products that share data on federal spending or other financial information. Twenty-five products were assessed in 2024. Administrative Product Award Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey Dashboard, Office of Personnel Management Honors products that share data collected through agency programs or the delivery of public services and are unrelated to federal finances or spending. Statistical Product Award National Survey on Drug Use and Health State Estimates Dashboard, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Honors products that share data collected through surveys, scientific studies or other research methods. Honorable Mention (Static Product) Higher Education Research and Development Survey Data Tables, National Science Foundation Recognizes exceptional products that do not have an interactive component such as a dashboard or data explorer. The Partnership looks forward to building on this new tradition of recognizing government efforts to increase data accessibility and transparency. Learn more about the Federal Data Excellence Awards.
