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Award Categories

Niti Ratn Award

Recognising sustained and transformative contributions over decades (will be nominated and selected by the jury)

Background & Rationale

Across the world, public policy shapes economies, societies, climate action, digital governance, and institutional reform. Yet, most existing awards either:

  • Recognise institutions rather than individuals
  • Focus on sector-specific domains (AI, cyber, environment)
  • Restrict eligibility by age or geography
  • Emphasise implementation within government only
  • Reward academic research alone

 

There is currently no globally positioned, cross-sector award exclusively honouring distinguished individuals who have demonstrated sustained excellence in public policy design, innovation, and impact across domains.

The PAC Policy Awards aim to fill this gap. This award distinguishes itself by:

  • Recognising individual excellence rather than institutions alone
  • Being domain-neutral across all public policy areas
  • Valuing both policy design and implementation
  • Maintaining transparent evaluation standards
  • Operating independently of government influence

Vision

To become the most credible and respected platform recognising individuals who have shaped public policy through intellectual rigour, institutional courage, innovation, and measurable societal impact – contributing to the growth of the nation.

Objectives

  • Recognise and motivate individuals for their outstanding work in public policy across sectors
  • Celebrate contributions across policy design, research, and implementation
  • Bridge academia, government, civil society, and multilateral institutions
  • Elevate ethical, scalable, and high-impact policy solutions
  • Create a community of policy excellence

Eligible Nominees

Across the world, public policy shapes economies, societies, climate action, digital governance, and institutional reform. Yet, most existing awards either:

  • Recognise institutions rather than individuals
  • Focus on sector-specific domains (AI, cyber, environment)
  • Restrict eligibility by age or geography
  • Emphasise implementation within government only
  • Reward academic research alone

 

There is currently no globally positioned, cross-sector award exclusively honouring distinguished individuals who have demonstrated sustained excellence in public policy design, innovation, and impact across domains.

The PAC Policy Awards aim to fill this gap. This award distinguishes itself by:

  • Recognising individual excellence rather than institutions alone
  • Being domain-neutral across all public policy areas
  • Valuing both policy design and implementation
  • Maintaining transparent evaluation standards
  • Operating independently of government influence
  • Policymakers (current ) 
  • Policy researchers and scholars
  • Think tank leaders
  • Civil society policy experts
  • Multilateral policy professionals
  • Geographic Scope: India chapter
  • Age Restriction: NA
  • Minimum Experience: NA

Evaluation

All nominations will be assessed through a rigorous, transparent  evaluation framework overseen by an independent jury of distinguished
peers. To eliminate bias and uphold the integrity of the process, the jury will evaluate all submissions anonymously – with no visibility into the identity of the nominee or their affiliated institution.

Each nomination will be scored across parameters such as the measurability and sustenance of real-world policy outcomes; the originality and boldness of the policy design or reform approach; the potential for replication across states or sectors at scale; and the
standards of integrity, inclusivity, and governance demonstrated in leadership.

This anonymous evaluation model ensures that recognition is awarded solely on merit – a principle that sits at the heart of what this platform stands for. In keeping with this commitment, nominations are open at no cost – because we believe access to recognition should never be contingent on the ability to pay.