With the Digital Economy Award, the swissICT trade association promotes companies, organisations and individuals who are driving forward digital transformation and digitalisation in Switzerland in a special way. The award was created in 2018 through a merger of the Swiss ICT Award and the Swiss Digital Transformation Award. It consists of the categories ‘Digital Innovation of the Year’, ‘The Next Global Hot Thing’, ‘Digital Excellence’ and – in collaboration with Switch – the category ‘NextGen Hero’. The Digital Economy Awards will be presented on 13 November 2025 at the Hallenstadion in Zurich.
Switch is looking for the ‘NextGen Heroes’ of 2025
Young. Courageous. Digital. In 2025, Switch is once again looking for the most inspiring minds between the ages of 20 and 28, who are shaping Switzerland's digital future with their ideas, projects and visions. Lecturers and researchers at Swiss universities are now invited to nominate these very talents for the NextGen Hero Award.
Young talent plays a crucial role in shaping our digital future. Help us find these talented individuals and their innovative projects. Nominate them now for the NextGen Hero Award.
Nominate now: the stage is set for your talent
Do you know any students, researchers or doctoral candidates at your university who are driving digitalisation forward with a strong vision, a groundbreaking thesis, a clever product or a forward-looking start-up or spin-off? Then don't just applaud – nominate them! Young people between the ages of 20 and 28 who are studying or working at a Swiss university are eligible to participate.
Self-nominations are not possible – they need someone like you who believes in them and makes their achievements visible. Help give these people the stage they deserve. Because those who are supported today will shape our digital future tomorrow.
And this is waiting for the young talents
Prime visibility 🎤✨
The finalists present their innovations on the big stage at Zurich's Hallenstadion.
Industry recognition 🤝🏆
Nearly 1,000 digital executives and decision-makers are present.
Career acceleration 🚀💼
Previous finalists have been presented with remarkable opportunities.
Innovative power for Switzerland's digital future
On 13 November 2025, the Hallenstadion in Zurich will become a stage for young visionaries. As part of the Digital Economy Awards organised by SwissICT, Switch will present the coveted NextGen Hero award for young talent for the third time. We are looking for people with truly impactful digital ideas – people who are smart, creative and extraordinary.
Eligibility, procedure and deadlines
Who can participate?
- Students, researchers, and doctoral candidates
- Between the ages of 20 and 28 (at the time of the award ceremony on 13 November 2025)
- From educational institutions in Switzerland and Liechtenstein
- With innovative digital projects, theses, start-ups or spin-offs
The nomination deadline is 13 June 2025. Nominees then have until the end of July 2025 to submit their application documents.
A renowned jury will select the most promising finalists from the applications. After a pitch training, they will present their projects to the audience in the NextGen Hero category at the Digital Economy Award Night on 13 November 2025 at the Hallenstadion in Zurich. The audience will then vote live to decide who will be crowned NextGen Hero and NextGen Heroin of 2025. You can't get much more visibility than that. Or much more recognition.
Inspiring success stories
Our previous finalists have achieved extraordinary success. Here is the impressive journey of finalist Amael Parreaux-Ey and the success story of winner Jessica Farda in the NZZ. These talented individuals gained visibility that catapulted their careers and innovations forward, regardless of whether they took home the award.
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