The principal objective of this article is to provide a comparative perspective of lessons learned from various awards for innovations in government that were developed in Latin America, the United States and Canada over the last two decades. The analysis includes initiatives that were carried out by governmental institutions and NGOs.

The name Awards for Innovations in Government is a generic title that includes a wide array of programs that share three primary objectives: celebrate, publicize and promote initiatives that represent the best existing practices in the field of government. These objectives are related to the desired impact of the programs: improve the image of the public sector and contribute to the replication of best practices.

The first part of the study analyzes the programs with regard to different dimensions: a) approach toward the recognition of good management practices vs. the promotion of a particular sectoral policy agenda; b) divulgation vs. replication; c) type of achievement awarded; d) award exclusivity; e) utilization of monetary incentives; and f) application procedures, selection criteria and decision‑making process.

The second part of the work concentrates on analyzing the impact of the innovation programs with regard to their two principal objectives: to improve and strengthen the image of the public sector and to promote those governmental innovations that benefit the public. Some conclusions to this regard are: the awards made it possible to group (in an aggregated form) almost 24,000 government innovations initiatives. After various rounds, the programs acquire a wide registry of innovative practices from around the country. In terms of transference, these innovative practices constitute a promising and extensive source of reference information. The awards provide the administrators and their respective teams with incentives to participate in the process through which they can achieve their respective goals.

In relation to the benefits for the organization that organizes the award, said initiatives represent a clear mechanism for orienting the public sector agenda toward policies/practices that primarily are of concern to the organization that launched the program. In addition, the awards are a relatively economic way of reaching innovators throughout the country.

The innovations that are compiled through the program awards usually serve as an input or contribution to many other products of the organization. Lastly, the directors of the innovation programs emphasized the role that the innovations have had in expanding the recognition and geographic reach of their organizations.