Join The Reformist Insiders Writing Competition

Public sector professionals, this is the time to tell your story—for a prize!

Dear readers,

If you superimpose Indonesia on the map of Europe, we stretch from the westernmost point in Portugal all the way to the easternmost point in Ukraine. But when you see the news, why is it all Jakarta?

Let’s change that. We want stories from everywhere—Jakarta included, but a greater emphasis on tales from elsewhere. We want to hear from reformists in Lhokseumawe, Sorong, Bone—every other regency, city, village, and local administration that has a reform story to share.

We look forward to hearing stories that have not received their deserved limelight. Think of the Puskesmas Chief in Banyuwangi, who trained a group of vegetable sellers to recognize the signs of high-risk pregnancy. He coordinated with these sellers who meet women in their community every day to eliminate the maternal mortality rate in only a few years. In other words, a dire solution that came out of necessity.

What about a reform initiative in your institution? Have you ever wanted others to learn about what you did to create change from within the system? This is the chance to tell YOUR story.

• Theme: Untold reform stories from the trenches

• Criteria:

  • The article should tell us about the stories behind the reforms you have been a part of.

    • It doesn’t always have to be a ‘success story’ – we also want to hear about the grit, grind, and all the different attempts you have made to fight for change in your capacity inside of Indonesia’s bureaucracy

  • 1000-1500 words

  • Manuscript can be submitted in either English or Bahasa Indonesia

• Who can join:

  • Public sector professionals working at the national and subnational levels, including but not limited to:

    • ASN and non-ASN working in ministries, government agencies, the legislature, and the judiciary

    • BUMN and BUMD employees

    • TNI and Polri

    • Other public policy professionals working directly with government institutions (e.g. consultants and contractors)

    • Or maybe… elected public officials (any local mayors out there subscribed to The Reformist?)

• Winners:

  • 5 winners with the best manuscripts will receive each:

    • Cash prize Rp 1,000,000

    • Exclusive The Reformist merchandise

    • Invitation to be a guest speaker on The Reformist Podcast

    • All winning articles will be published in The Reformist in English

• How to submit:

  • Send your full manuscript to connect@thinkpolicy.id with the subject line: The Reformist Insiders_[Name]_[Your institution]

  • In the body text of the e-mail, state again your name, your institution, and your job title, along with the title and subtitle of your article

  • Attach your manuscript as a Word document (.docx file)

  • Submission deadline: Monday, 9 March 2026, 09:00 WIB

• Terms and conditions:

  • Submitted manuscript must be an original work and has never been published

  • The Reformist retains the right to exclusively publish winning articles

We are looking forward to reading unearthed reform stories from our reformist insiders!

Best regards,

The Reformist Team