Authors from the State Audit Office of the Republic of Latvia win the INCOSAI XXV Staats Award
Author: Jessica Du, Editor and Vice President, International Journal of Government Auditing
Stephen Sanford, Managing Director of the U.S. GAO’s Strategic Planning and External Liaison team presented the Elmer B. Staats Award on behalf of the Comptroller General of the United States and International Journal of Government Auditing at INCOSAI XXV on Friday, October 31, 2025. This award recognizes excellence in the writing of articles contributed to the Journal in supporting its mission to extend knowledge sharing and learning throughout the INTOSAI community. At each Congress, the award goes to the author or authors of the best article, or articles, published by the Journal over the previous three calendar years.
The winning article of the 2025 Staats Award is “Think BIG! — Testing a New Approach for Recommendations“, by Agnese Jaunzeme and Silvija Nora Kalniņš of the State Audit Office of the Republic of Latvia. Silvija Nora Kalniņš accepted the award on behalf of both authors.
Their article, from the Journal’s Q3 2024 issue on Implementing Recommendations and Audit Follow Up, describes how State Audit Office of Latvia shifted from simply issuing recommendations to focusing on measurable, positive change — establishing targets in the planning phase, defining quantifiable indicators, and only considering a recommendation implemented when it leads to actual change, not just action.
The article also highlights the importance of collaboration and communicating impact by publicly reporting financial return metrics, cooperating with audited entities, and using a “change-oriented” approach to incentivize audit implementation and maximise benefit to the public.
The Staats Award is named in honor of former Comptroller General Elmer B. Staats, who made many important contributions to the Journal during his tenure as its Chair. Since the first Staats Award in 1983, authors from 14 different countries have received this prestigious award. The INTOSAI Journal thanks all of the judges and contributing authors to the Journal for their efforts and submissions.
The INTOSAI Journal’s Board of Editors and Associate Editors, made up of a diverse and inclusive group of SAIs, assessed 89 articles from 55 nations, regions, and organizations, representing a 50% increase in eligible articles from the previous Staats Award. In determining the authors receiving this honor, judges consider the article’s contribution to knowledge and originality; subject matter; literary merit; evidence of research; and imaginative treatment. The Staats Award reflects the high quality of articles and information shared through the Journal, and the Journal continues its commitment to knowledge sharing throughout INTOSAI.
