Open Source Competition 2026: New AI category for administration

The Open Source Business Alliance (OSBA) has launched the second round of its competition for open source in public administration. Authorities and administrations can apply with innovative projects by June 30, 2026, under the motto "Modern Administration. Innovation. Digital Sovereignty." In addition to the three established categories of specialized applications, internal administrative applications, and transformation, the artificial intelligence category is being introduced for the first time this year. The award ceremony will take place as part of the Smart Country Convention (October 13-15, 2026) in Berlin.

In the first edition of the competition last year, 42 applications were submitted, of which 39 were admitted. Nearly 5,700 votes were cast in the community voting. The Community Award went to the Government Site Builder (GSB 11) from the Federal Ministry for Digital and State Modernization and the Federal Information Technology Centre with 588 votes. The TYPO3-based toolkit for uniform, accessible administrative websites is now used for more than 250 websites and is intended to reduce licensing and operating costs.

In the Transformation category, the data platform CIVITAS/CORE of the association Civitas Connect won. The Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection won in the Specialized Applications category with the project "Access to Justice."

Microsoft Spending Versus Digital Sovereignty

The competition is gaining significant importance in the context of the federal government's greatly increased dependence on Microsoft. As a recent analysis showed, the federal government spent around 481 million euros on Microsoft licenses in 2025 – an increase of 38 percent compared to the previous year and 75 percent since 2023. This development contradicts the goals formulated in the coalition agreement to promote digital sovereignty and European alternatives. The OSBA criticizes that millions are flowing into license fees that are missing for real IT modernization with open source.

The Center for Digital Sovereignty (ZenDiS) supports the competition as an ideal sponsor. The institution, founded in 2022 by the Federal Ministry of the Interior, is intended to support federal, state, and local governments in building digital sovereignty. Leonhard Kugler, Head of Platform and Development at ZenDiS, emphasizes: "Open-source software is a powerful lever for digital sovereignty." The institution operates a collaborative development platform with openCode and an online office suite as a Microsoft alternative with openDesk.

The competition receives financial and organizational support from the companies SUSE and Capgemini. Holger Pfister, General Manager DACH at SUSE, sees "enormous opportunities for Germany" in open source to strengthen domestic industry and create economic resilience. Stefan Zosel, Vice President and Global Cloud Lead Public Sector at Capgemini, points to the continuously increasing demand for open-source solutions to strengthen digital sovereignty in the public sector. OSBA Chairman Peter Ganten announced his intention to continue the competition in the coming years.

Further information about the competition and how to apply can be found on the OSBA website.

(fo)