City as a Platform wins WSA Portugal and will represent Portugal on the global stage

We’re incredibly proud to share a win that has the whole team buzzing. City as a Platform was distinguished by APDC as Portugal’s most innovative digital solution in the Government & Citizen Engagement category of the WSA Portugal 2025.

This victory reinforces that we’re on the right path: making territories smarter, more inclusive, and more sustainable through technology. And now we’re taking this vision beyond borders, representing Portugal at the global WSA edition, competing with solutions from over 180 countries.

What are the WSA?

The World Summit Awards (WSA) are one of the most prestigious global competitions in digital innovation with social impact, promoted by the United Nations in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Created in 2003, their mission is to make technology accessible to all, bridge the digital divide, and reward solutions that truly improve people’s lives. In Portugal, the WSA are coordinated by APDC – Portuguese Association for the Development of Communications, which selects the 8 best national projects across different categories:

• Business & Commerce

• Health & Wellbeing

• Learning & Education

• Inclusion & Empowerment

• Environment & Green Energy

• Culture & Heritage

• Smart Settlements & Urbanization

• Government & Citizen Engagement

Being chosen to represent Portugal in the Government & Citizen Engagement category is an honour that confirms the real impact of City as a Platform. Our solution has been transforming territorial management in dozens of municipalities across the country, enabling local teams to act with greater agility, transparency and proximity to citizens.

With this distinction, our solution now moves on to:

• International jury evaluation (October–November)

• Global online pitch presentation (January 2026, in Rio de Janeiro)

• Possibility of making the global shortlist

• Participation in the WSA World Congress 2026 in Vienna

How does City as a Platform stand out from the competition?

City as a Platform stands out by redefining the relationship between municipalities and citizens, placing civic engagement, transparency and accessibility at the core of the experience. Unlike many solutions that focus only on internal efficiency or complex infrastructures, our platform promotes genuine interaction: citizens get clear, real-time information about their territory, while public decision-makers receive direct feedback that helps them act more informedly.

The no-code approach allows municipalities themselves to create and adapt applications according to their needs, without relying on technical teams or external vendors. This results in faster innovation cycles, cost reductions, and greater buy-in from local teams. Moreover, the platform’s usability, comparable to the simple navigation of Google Maps, ensures that any user, regardless of technical profile, can explore, act, and decide based on real-time data.

More than just technology, City as a Platform is a tool for democratising territorial intelligence, already adopted by dozens of entities in Portugal, from large urban centres such as Lisbon and Vila Nova de Famalicão to parishes like Estrela. It’s this combination of accessibility, flexibility, and proven impact that sets us apart.

A victory for everyone

This distinction also belongs to the 27 municipalities and multiple partners who use City as a Platform every day to make more informed decisions, promote transparency, and provide better services to citizens.

Let’s head to the global WSA 2025 together 🌎