Public Service Recognition Week
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Public Service Recognition Week

Public Service Recognition Week is celebrated the first week of May since 1985 (beginning on the first Sunday of the month) to honor the people who serve our nation as federal, state, county, local and tribal government employees.

Download the PSRW celebration toolkit

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Sign up for Public Service Recognition Week

By signing up for PSRW, you will be featured on the participating organizations page below and will receive PSRW updates and materials.

See the 2023 participating organizations

Tools and Downloads


Throughout the country, mayors, governors, agency leaders, communities and public service organizations show appreciation to government employees by issuing proclamations, hosting award ceremonies, sharing stories of excellence in public service and more.

How to Celebrate PSRW

There are many simple, low-cost ways to celebrate public servants in your community during Public Service Recognition Week (PSRW). Ideas range from sending letters to public employees to organizing a celebration showcasing the work of government agencies in your local area. Our guide provides a full list of suggestions and actions you can take during the week.

Celebration Toolkit PSRW Logo 2023 PSRW Banner PSRW Certificate Example PSRW Certificate Template #GovPossible Toolkit

Audience Guides

Our tailored guides for federal agencies, Capitol Hill, local chapters and teachers provide specific recommendations for what you can do to celebrate federal workers during #PSRW.

Federal Agencies Local Chapters Teachers Capitol Hill

Share a #PSRW photo on social media

Use one of our white board templates to write why you serve or support public servants. Take a picture and share it on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!

I Serve Because… I Appreciate Public Servants Because…

Activities for children

Share the #PSRW celebration with your little ones! Print out these activity sheets for your kids to enjoy during all of this time at home.

Word Search Coloring Sheet “Thank You” Coloring Sheet

Social Media Toolkit

Try out our sample posts and images on social media! You can use our #PSRW graphic on Facebook or add a fun sticker to your Instagram story. Browse through all our templates for agencies, public servants and more.

Sample Posts Photo Challenge 2023 PSRW Gif General Thank You First Responder Thank You Virtual Background

2023 White House Proclamation

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2023 House Resolution

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2023 Senate Resolution

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2023 Co-chair Letter

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Resources for Individuals


Podcast

Tune in to the Profiles in Public Service podcast which shares compelling stories about the public servant leaders who are driving government’s most important accomplishments and making an impact for communities across the country.  

Listen
Sammies finalists show how we can build trust in government

Service to America Medals

Our 2023 finalists will be announced Monday, May 8th. Learn more about the program, register for updates and read the stories of our honorees 

Learn more

Go Government

Explore the federal hiring process 

This site is designed to be your guide as you consider, apply, and secure federal employment. We’ll help you research federal agencies and government careers as well as provide practical tips for completing your application.

Learn more

Five Stories of Public Service

Every other Wednesday, our new newsletter will share five stories that highlight the ways in which civil servants working in cities and towns across the country are keeping us safe, healthy and prosperous.

Subscribe

Resources for Organizations


Submit a PSRW Event

Share your event with us to be listed on our events page. 

Submit your event

#GovPossible Campaign

Do you know a team of public servants or an individual who has done exceptional work this past year? Have they made the impossible possible? The Performance.gov team invites you to celebrate PSRW by sharing what public servants do each day to make things #GovPossible!  

Participate in the #GovPossible campaign

FEB Award Winners 2023

There are 28 Federal Executive Boards in metropolitan areas with significant Federal populations. Each year during PSRW, FEB’s award high-performing Federal employees in their local communities and highlight innovative efforts that advance the missions of Federal agencies.  

Learn about the 2023 winners

Call to Serve

Our Call to Serve Network—the only national system that collaborates with both federal agencies and hundreds of higher education institutions—works to promote federal service and recruit the next generation of public servants.

Become a member

Events


April 27, 2023

2023 Public Service Awards at James Madison University

JMU Master of Public Administration

Since 2009, the Public Service Awards at JMU has recognized over forty individuals across the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia region for their excellence in public service as part of the national Public Service Recognition Week. Honorees are nominated and selected by their peers and colleagues, facilitated by the JMU MPA program.

Learn more

May 1–June 6, 2023

Feds in Motion Challenge

Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund

The 3rd Annual Feds In Motion Challenge kicks off on May 1, 2023, continues during Public Service Recognition Week (#PSRW) May 7-13, and keeps on going through June 6. It’s all about moving in your favorite way — walk, run, bike, swim, or roll your wheelchair on your favorite route — to reach the goal of 37 miles (or more!) in 37 days.

Please note: the last day to register with a guaranteed t-shirt is April 8, 2023.

Register Now

May 10, 2023

Building the Next Generation of the Federal Workforce

FEdManager

This webinar will feature a discussion on the government’s value proposition to employees and how agencies and organizations are working to fill the public service talent pipeline.

Register Now

May 11, 2023

CMS PSRW Employee Engagement Recognition Ceremony and Hybrid 5K

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)

On May 11 at 11 a.m. EDT, CMS will host a hybrid Employee Appreciation Day which includes a Recognition Ceremony and a hybrid 5K Fun Run/Walk at their headquarters in Baltimore, MD.

For those able to attend in-person, there will be several vendors offering services like gait analysis, ergonomic assessments, seated massages and more. For those unable to attend in person, they can still attend the Recognition Ceremony with alternate exercise activity hosted by CMS’ Wellness platform BurnAlong. This activity will happen in tandem with the 5K. There are also various wellness webinars scheduled throughout that special week.

Join

May 12, 2023

Building and Celebrating a Robust Public Service

Partnership for Public Service

Join the Partnership for Public Service on Friday, May 12 at 11 am EDT for a hybrid discussion about what agencies are doing to bring more young people into government. 

Register Now

May 12, 2023

Founding of Virtual Museum of Public Service

Virtual Museum of Public Service

Honor public service by helping to found the Virtual Museum of Public Service (VMPS). In an environment where the valuable contributions and personal sacrifices of tens of millions of public servants are often invisible or misunderstood, VMPS will underscore the value of public service and the integrity of those who deliver on government’s promises. VMPS will do so by highlighting the critical work and quiet pride of public servants in service to their fellow citizens.

VMPS will present multimedia exhibits that highlight the positive roles public servants play in delivering on government’s pledges to the public. Each exhibit will emphasize how individual public servants and groups have significantly improved our quality of life across health, education, criminal justice, defense, the arts, parks, and dozens of other services that build social capital.

Learn more

May 17, 2023

2023 NJ ASPA Public Service Awards reception

NJ ASPA

The New Jersey Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration invites you to attend its annual Public Service Awards reception being held at Thomas Edison State University in Trenton, N.J., on May 17, 2023. Doors open for networking at 3 p.m. EDT; the program will begin at 4PM. Refreshments will be served.

  • Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver will be the event’s keynote speaker and will be honored with the NJ ASPA President’s Award for Distinguished Public Service.
  • Teri O’Connor, County Administrator of Monmouth County, NJ will be honored as the NJ Public Servant of the Year.
  • Alan Zalkind of the Center for Government Services at Rutgers University will be honored as the NJ Academic of the Year.
  • Anthony “Skip” Cimino will be honored with the NJ Public Servant Lifetime Achievement Award.

In addition, Public Administration Students of the Year Awards will be presented to students who have excelled in public administration studies at universities in New Jersey. These students have emerged as effective leaders among their contemporaries.

Reserve a spot

May 31, 2023

Federal Workforce Night, D.C. United vs. CF Montreal

D. C. United & Partnership for Public Service

The Partnership for Public Service is offering discounted tickets for you to cheer on the team and our 2023 Service to America Medals® finalists, who will be recognized at halftime. Use the link below to access up to 30% off tickets!

Get your tickets

Videos


President Joe Biden and Partnership leadership say thank you to our public servants! We encourage government and community leaders to record similar messages that people can post, tweet and share all throughout #PSRW.

Energy Deputy Secretary David Turk and Housing & Urban Development Deputy Secretary Adrianne Todman joined a panel with other federal workforce officials at the Partnership for Public Service for a discussion on public service recruitment and career opportunities.

Watch on CSPAN

President Joe Biden

Max Stier

Partnership President and CEO

James-Christian Blockwood

Partnership Executive Vice President

#IServeBecause

“While making an impact within public service is often a marathon and not a sprint, knowing that my work makes a difference is something I value tremendously. While it may not be glamorous to ensure publicly funded programs are correctly managed and taxpayer money is handled correctly, it comes with a tremendous sense of duty I have not experienced in the private sector.”


Kyle B., GSA

“Public service is important to me because I like helping people, especially those who may be at greater risk to physical or environmental hazards. I also find it important to be a voice for that which can’t speak up for itself – namely the natural environment: plants, trees, rivers, lakes and animals of all kind.”


Bryan F., EPA

“I worked for years in the private sector, and I was never satisfied; although, I was well paid. My country is important to me, and public service allows me to join the fight to keep our country and the Constitution alive!”


Amy M., DOD

“I believe it is very important to take care of the people not only in our country, but also in the communities in which we live. I think if it were not for our public service personnel, this country wouldn’t be able to continue to function and go on as it has during this crisis and every crisis that has occurred before it.”


Sonsauray D., IRS

Partners


Public Service Recognition Week is hosted annually by the Public Employees Roundtable and its member organizations.