Benyamin S Award 2026 Evaluates Sub-district Potential and Innovation

The Jakarta Provincial Government is once again organising the Benyamin S Award 2026. Entering the field judging stage, the jury team visited 27 selected sub-districts to directly observe various flagship programmes and innovations in each area.

This field assessment follows the online verification stage. The jury team travelled across the five administrative cities of Jakarta and the Thousand Islands to assess the potential of each sub-district based on the categories established for this annual event.

The jury’s arrival at several sub-districts was met with traditional music, arts, and Betawi cultural performances. This atmosphere was part of the sub-districts’ efforts to showcase their unique character and regional potential.

The Benyamin S Award takes its name from the legendary Betawi artist, Benqamin Sueb. The name also serves as an acronym for the four assessment pillars: Bersih (Clean), Nyaman (Comfortable), Indah (Beautiful), and Sejahtera (Prosperous).

The jury consists of expert staff from the Governor of Jakarta’s office and specialists from various regional government organisations. They are directly assessing the various potentials and innovations offered by the 27 sub-districts across the five administrative cities and the Thousand Islands.

Nirwono Joga, a judge for the Benyamin S Award 2026, stated that the field assessment includes efforts by sub-districts to create clean and comfortable environments. “First, the potential of each sub-district in achieving a clean environment, meaning being waste-free. Second, how each sub-district strives to make its area comfortable by eliminating slums and open defecation,” said Nirwono.

According to him, the assessment also covers the potential for green open spaces that can be developed into parks amidst urban density. Additionally, the jury identified potential in arts, culture, and culinary sectors that could be developed as tourist destinations.

“Third, we also found the potential for green open spaces to be transformed into parks amidst the city’s density. Furthermore, there is the interesting emergence of potential in areas such as arts, culture, and culinary sectors, which could serve as prospects for tourism destinations in these sub-districts,” he added.

The field judging stage also serves as a momentum for sub-district heads (Lurah) to demonstrate the results of collaboration between the government and the community in developing their regions.

The Head of Kebon Sirih Sub-district, Henny Mahrojues, noted that preparing for the Benyamin S Award is not easy, as it requires a shared vision between the sub-district government and residents. “For our preparation in Kebon Sirih, it was not easy because we had to align the perceptions of the government and the residents. Fortunately, after coordination and collaboration, everything has proceeded smoothly, and residents are supporting the BSA activities,” said Henny.

Meanwhile, the Head of Lagoa Sub-district, Yuyun Wahyudi, stated that his area is prioritising the ‘Clean’ and ‘Comfortable’ categories. One highlighted programme is waste management in RW 6 through waste banks and regular waste sorting. “We are championing two categories: clean and comfortable. The cleanliness is in the RW 6 area, where there is a waste bank and regular waste sorting activities. Thus, in RW 6, waste becomes a blessing and a source of income,” said Yuyun.

Similarly, the Head of Utan Kayu Selatan Sub-district, Ria Handayani, expressed optimism that her sub-district could achieve the best results thanks to the collaboration of various community elements. “God willing, we are optimistic because this is all thanks to our cooperation—including the RT, RW, and LMK heads, as well as our arts and culture groups. We are working together to prepare for the 2026 BSA competition. We hope the results will help develop Utan Kayu Selatan further,” said Ria.

Faisal, Head of Third-Party Cooperation at the Jakarta Provincial Government Bureau of KSD, stated that the judging data will be curated before determining which sub-districts will proceed to the next stage. “We are still curating the data and will recap it. This afternoon, the provincial-level jury will conduct assessments to select several sub-districts from West Jakarta to enter the top 10 at the city level to represent the province,” said Faisal.

Sub-districts that pass as finalists will proceed to subsequent stages, including direct verification and face-to-face presentations. This series of evaluations will determine the best sub-districts in each category for the Benyamin S Award 2026. The announcement of the winners for each category is scheduled for late October 2026.