Kemendagri splits 2026 local govt contest into 6 regions

The Ministry of Home Affairs is dividing the 2026 Apresiasi Pemerintah Daerah Berprestasi into six regions so smaller local governments do not compete directly with areas that have larger fiscal capacity. The format will cover Sumatera, Kalimantan, Maluku-Nusa Tenggara, Jawa-Bali, Sulawesi, and Papua. Home Affairs Minister Muhammad Tito Karnavian said the judging will be closely supervised and use open quantitative data, including indicators on poverty reduction, stunting reduction, unemployment, inflation control, and creative financing. For the first batch, first place will receive Rp3 miliar in fiscal incentives, second place Rp2 miliar, and third place Rp1 miliar. The Jawa-Bali regional event will be held at Yogyakarta Marriott Hotel, Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta, on 4 June 2026, while the Papua regional event is scheduled later.