Wanted: Digital Heroine and Digital Hero of the Year

On 16 November 2023, it’s that time again: for the fourth time, SwissICT is hosting the Digital Economy Award ceremony at the Hallenstadion in Zurich. Awards are presented in various categories at the Award Night, including – for the first time in collaboration with SWITCH – the ‘NextGen Hero’ award for young talent.

Nominate the ‘NextGen Hero’ now

For more than ten years, Switzerland has established itself as the most innovative country in the world. One important reason for this is our high-performance universities. They are amongst the most important local innovators and are practically right at the source when it comes to the digital shooting stars of the future.

Do you know of any talented young people between the ages of 20 and 28 who are making an outstanding contribution to shaping Switzerland’s digital future with a project, bachelor's / master’s thesis or product? Then nominate your NextGen Hero. Ideally, their projects are already proving successful, set standards and have the potential to continue to be successful in the future. Candidates do not nominate themselves. The application process is carried out through nomination partnerships.

Two conditions for your nomination

1. You yourself must teach, research or work at a Swiss university
2. The persons you nominate must be enrolled or employed by such an institution.

The extended nomination period runs until 23 June 2023. The candidates submit their application documents by the end of June 2023.

One female winner and one male winner

A top-class jury selects the most promising heroes from all submitted projects. At the Award Night, they make their pitch live in front of an audience.

The award – more than fame and glory

Before the eyes of around 1,000 guests from the Swiss ICT scene, the winners are rewarded with much more than fame and glory. Together with a team of up to six people, they get to take part in a Security Awareness Adventure in the SWITCH escape room. The mix of theory and practice, fiction and reality promises excitement with added value.

An opportunity not to be missed!

Information on the ‘NextGen Hero’ award